'For US consumers, this merger has become a proxy fight about political influence and control of media,' according to Forrester Research. 'In the UK, it's being treated as a structural competition issue where regulators, not consumers, will decide.'
California Attorney General Rob Bonta appeared to dismiss a report that he was looking to require Paramount to divest CNN as a condition for otherwise letting the Warner Bros. Discovery deal go through.
Zaslav's pay tripled to $165 million -- eighth highest among large U.S. CEOs -- even as 84% of shareholders rejected it and a Paramount sale nears an $887-million exit.