Benedict Cumberbatch among actors urging UK gov’t to block ‘disastrous’ PSKY-WBD merger

British actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong have called on the UK government to prevent a Paramount Skydance (PSKY) and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) mega-merger that they say would have “disastrous” consequences for the local screen sector.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Harald Krichel / WikiPortraits via CC

In an open letter in newspaper The Guardian, the trio wrote that PSKY’s proposed US$110bn acquisition of WBD threatens to “inflict immense harm” on the TV and film industry, its workers and UK storytelling.

The three actors implored Lisa Nandy, secretary of state for culture, media and sport, to work alongside Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to block the deal and save the UK from what they describe as the ruinous effects of major studio and streamer consolidation.

Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Cumming (Tip Toe) and Wong (3 Body Problem) said: “Should [Nandy’s] department decide to intervene, it may prove one of the most important decisions any culture secretary has taken for UK film, television and media in a generation.

“We have watched, with growing alarm, what consolidation does to the breadth and depth of the work we produce. Every merger of this kind narrows the funnel through which stories can reach audiences. That is precisely what makes the Paramount-WBD merger so dangerous.”

Earlier this month, Nandy said the British government was minded to intervene in the matter. The merger would bring Paramount-owned broadcaster 5, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, CNN International, Paramount+ and HBO Max under the same roof, potentially creating issues around plurality.

The UK government has a mandate to ensure news media in Britain includes a wide range of viewpoints and that ownership is shared among different people or organisations.

The CMA is conducting its own review of the merger’s impact, with the organisation set to release its Phase 1 findings before August 7.

The PSKY-WBD deal has already been approved by the US Department of Justice and has also been conditionally approved by the European Commission.

PSKY had expected the merger to close by the end of the third quarter (September 30). However, the saga took an unexpected turn last Friday when PSKY agreed to pause the merger while the antitrust lawsuit brought by a group of US states plays out.

In their open letter to The Guardian, Cumberbatch, Cumming and Wong welcomed the temporary reprieve but warned the UK must now press its own case to help halt the mega-merger. They want to see Nandy and the CMA step in to act on behalf of the domestic screen sector, with media regulator Ofcom assessing public interest concerns.

The actors said: “It is important to take the time to get this right. The case for a full public intervention is overwhelming.

“Nandy has opened the door to intervention. She must walk through it, for the sake of everyone who makes UK television and film – and everyone who watches it. If she does not, we will be left without the ability to protect our industry and our culture from this consolidation. We must not push the public’s interest aside; we must stand up for it and block this merger.”