Alan Cumming, Benedict Cumberbatch and Benedict Wong have warned that the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros merger poses a serious threat to the UK’s film and television industry, public service broadcasting, and news plurality. The actors, writing in a joint article, urged Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to intervene, noting she has indicated she is “minded to intervene” in the $110bn takeover.
Merger faces legal challenges in US and UK
The merger, which would combine Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros Discovery, is being contested in both the US and UK. In the US, 12 states led by California sued in federal court to block the deal, warning it would raise prices, reduce film production, and degrade quality. On Friday, Paramount agreed to delay the merger until trial. The EU conditionally backed the merger last week, but the UK must defend its own public interest, the actors said.
Nandy has sent letters to both companies and a statement to parliament, signaling her intention to scrutinize the deal. The actors praised her stance, saying she “commands one of the fronts” in the fight against the merger.
Impact on UK jobs and economy
The UK film and television industry supports more than 180,000 jobs, generated £6.8bn in production spend last year, and adds roughly £12bn annually to the economy. The actors warned that consolidation narrows the range of stories reaching audiences, citing a 50% drop in independent film acquisitions at Sundance between 2019 and 2025.
Paramount’s takeover would load the combined company with an estimated $84bn in debt, with executives promising $6bn in “synergies” – meaning redundancies, cancelled productions, and fewer risks. The actors noted that when Discovery merged with WarnerMedia in 2022, finished films were shelved and thousands of jobs cut; when Skydance merged with Paramount last year, about 2,000 people were laid off.
Public interest concerns
The actors emphasized that the merger threatens news plurality, as the combined company would control Channel 5, CNN International, and the CNN and CBS news archives – over 4.25 million videos and images spanning nearly half a century. “One owner controlling this much of the news… endangers the public,” they wrote.
They also highlighted that Paramount’s chief executive reportedly told Donald Trump he would make “sweeping changes” to CNN if the deal went through. Nandy has cited the need for sufficient plurality of views in news media and has flagged potential impacts on streaming, content homogenisation, and children’s television.
The actors called for a full public interest intervention, with Ofcom assessing plurality. “Nandy has opened the door to intervention. She must walk through it,” they concluded.
