Americans skeptical of benefits from Paramount takeover of Warner Bros., survey suggests

Americans are skeptical that the proposed purchase of Warner Bros.-Discovery by Paramount Skydance would benefit them, according to the latest Media & Technology Survey from the Communication Research Center at Boston University’s College of Communication.

The $110 billion acquisition was approved in June by the U.S. Department of Justice but put on hold by Paramount citing a lawsuit brought by 12 state attorneys general.

Critics argue that such a merger, bringing together two major movie studios, CBS, CNN and HBO under one roof, would harm consumers and people who work in the industry – and the survey suggests a majority of Americans share these worries.

The nationally representative survey, conducted by Ipsos, found that only about a quarter of respondents expected the merger would benefit consumers:

• 24% agreed or strongly agreed that the deal would lead to less expensive video streaming subscriptions
• 25% agreed or strongly agreed that it would lead to a wider diversity of news and political opinions
• 23% agreed or strongly agreed that it would create more entertainment industry jobs
• 24% agreed or strongly agreed that it was good for consumers overall.

About half of respondents (48%) said they were “generally aware” of the proposed acquisition. Respondents answering “don’t know” to questions were excluded from this analysis and percentages.

Deborah Jaramillo, professor of film and television studies at Boston University’s College of Communication and a contributor to a new study, “The Costs of Consolidation: Arguments and Evidence for Blocking the Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger,” says consumers have a right to worry.

“Consider all that we have witnessed in the past year: FCC threats, CBS News purges, and government calls to cancel programs, fire entertainers, and suspend broadcast licenses – and a parade of network executives eager to bend the knee,” Jaramillo says.

“Media history teaches us that, far from being inevitable, the conditions that led to this current moment were created and nurtured over time by inadequate regulation, short-sighted deregulation, and the misguided belief that networks and studios, which eventually would become siblings in enormous media conglomerates, could be trusted to police themselves,” she adds.

Survey Summary

Respondents to this month’s Media & Technology Survey were asked:

Paramount Skydance, which currently owns Paramount and CBS, is seeking to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, which owns Warner Brothers movies, HBO and CNN. The U.S. Department of Justice is allowing this purchase, but the sale is currently being blocked by a dozen state attorney generals. Thinking about this, how much do you agree or disagree with the following statements: 

I am generally aware of the Paramount-Warner merger.

Strongly Disagree: 15%
Disagree: 16%
Neither Agree or Disagree: 19%
Agree: 33%
Strongly Agree: 12%
Don’t Know: 6%

The Paramount-Warner merger will lead to less expensive video streaming service subscriptions.

Strongly Disagree: 19%
Disagree: 21%
Neither Agree or Disagree: 26%
Agree: 14%
Strongly Agree: 7%
Don’t Know: 13%

The Paramount-Warner merger will lead to a wider diversity of news and political opinions for media consumers.

Strongly Disagree: 21%
Disagree: 17%
Neither Agree or Disagree: 26%
Agree: 15%
Strongly Agree: 7%
Don’t Know: 14%

The Paramount-Warner merger will lead to more jobs for the movie, TV and entertainment industry.

Strongly Disagree: 16%
Disagree: 18%
Neither Agree or Disagree: 31%
Agree: 14%
Strongly Agree: 6%
Don’t Know: 14%

The Paramount-Warner merger is good for media consumers overall.

Strongly Disagree: 21%
Disagree: 15%
Neither Agree or Disagree: 31%
Agree: 15%
Strongly Agree: 6%
Don’t Know: 12%

Note: Percentages are based on choices among all options, including “Don’t Know.”

About the Media & Technology Survey

The Media & Technology Survey is an ongoing project of the Communication Research Center (CRC) at Boston University’s College of Communication. This month’s poll was administered by Ipsos in English on July 23 to 24, 2026, among 1,005 U.S. residents. This online survey has a credibility interval (CI) of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The data were weighted to the U.S. population data by region, gender, age and education. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error.

Contact: Burton Glass, Boston University College of Communication, bglass@bu.edu