Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong Urge U.K. Government to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger in Op-Ed: ‘It Threatens to Inflict Immense Harm’
Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong have urged the U.K. government to intervene in the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros merger, saying it “threatens to inflict immense harm on the British public.” In an op-ed addressed to culture minister Lisa Nandy, the trio said her intervention could be “prove one of the most important decisions any culture secretary has taken for UK film, television and media in a generation.” They argue that the merger will result in “redundancies, cancelled productions, fewer films commissioned and fewer risks taken,” although they acknowledge that aspect of the merger is less within Nandy’s remit than the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is also reviewing the deal.
Reported by 1 outlet — Variety. See all sources ↓
Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong have urged the U.K. government to intervene in the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros merger, saying it “threatens to inflict immense harm on the British public.” In an op-ed addressed to culture minister Lisa Nandy, the trio said her intervention could be “prove one of the most important decisions any culture secretary has taken for UK film, television and media in a generation.” They argue that the merger will result in “redundancies, cancelled productions, fewer films commissioned and fewer risks taken,” although they acknowledge that aspect of the merger is less within Nandy’s remit than the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is also reviewing the deal. Nandy’s is to decide whether the merger is in the public interest, to which Cumberbatch, Cumming and Wong say “It most certainly is not.” The trio point to the fact that Paramount currently owns public service broadcaster Channel 5 as well as CBS in the States: the acquisition of WBD would see CNN and CNN International also come under the same umbrella. “If one commercially interested owner controls access to both [the CNN and CBS news archives], they control the raw material of our historical memory,” the op-ed, published in the Guardian, states.
Read the full report at Variety ↗
Why it matters
A world story we're tracking; its significance and source trust firm up as more outlets confirm it.
- What's the story?
- Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong have urged the U.K. government to intervene in the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros merger, saying it “threatens to inflict immense harm on the British public.” In an op-ed addressed to culture minister Lisa Nandy, the trio said her intervention could be “prove one of the most important decisions any culture secretary has taken for UK film, television and media in a generation.” They argue that the merger will result in “redundancies, cancelled productions, fewer films commissioned and fewer risks taken,” although they acknowledge that aspect of the merger is less within Nandy’s remit than the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is also reviewing the deal.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 1m ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
Here's how each outlet is covering the story — compare their headlines and timing at a glance.
- Coverage card1 outlet1CoverageScouting report
Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong Urge U.K. Government to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger in Op-Ed: ‘It Threatens to Inflict Immense Harm’
Sources1TypeCoverageVariety