Mega‑studio merger concentrates cultural gatekeepers

Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders have voted to approve Paramount Skydance’s $31‑per‑share takeover, creating a media conglomerate that would combine major networks, streaming services and valuable content libraries. That consolidation would shift who controls distribution, news outlets and major cultural franchises into far fewer hands. — Concentrating studios, news channels and streaming platforms affects competition, journalism independence, cultural diversity and the political economy of media, making this a regulatory and democratic question.