US Paramount-Warner case revives battle over Big Tech, market definition
By Alex Wilts and Flavia Fortes ( July 21, 2026, 22:31 GMT | Comment) -- For more than a decade, merging parties have pointed to the expansion of Big Tech into adjacent industries as evidence that traditional market boundaries no longer reflect competitive reality. That issue is now at the heart of several states' challenge to the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, where the companies argue that Amazon and Apple now compete closely enough with traditional Hollywood studios to weaken the plaintiffs’ narrow market definitions.A hearing last week over several US states’ bid to block Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery highlighted a recurring question in merger litigation: When technology companies such as Apple and Amazon expand into new industries, when do they become competitors that belong in the relevant market?...
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