When Rob Bonta sued to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger in July, he said he was doing so because the Trump administration had failed to act for political reasons.
\n\n“They are greenlighting deals that their own antitrust section at U.S. DOJ knows and believes are unlawful, and they’re overriding them in the White House with political decisions,” he said. “They are not just missing in action, they are making things worse for Americans … So our role is more important.”
\n\nA mere two months later, Bonta has had to abandon his case in exchange for only modest conditions — largely due to political interference.
\n\nGov. Gavin Newsom weighed in early and often, suggesting that it would be better for Bonta to settle than risk going to trial and subjecting the industry to a prolonged period of uncertainty.
\n\nParamount also laid on the pressure, lining up political and industry supporters and threatening to flee to Tennessee if no deal was reached by Oct. 1. Amid a historic production slump, political leaders feared the optics of a major studio leaving Hollywood. And in the end, the one-two punch of Newsom and Nashville proved too much for Bonta to withstand.
\n\n“I think Bonta…
Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/