Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has publicly backed the proposed $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, calling the delays around the deal bad for everyone in the industry.

"Uncertainty is the worst thing for our business, and uncertainty and delay is not good for anybody," Feltheimer said during Lionsgate's fiscal 2027 first-quarter earnings call on 6 August 2026. The call, held after US market close, covered results for the quarter ended 30 June 2026, which Lionsgate had scheduled in a 22 July announcement. (Deadline)

The merger — which would combine two of Hollywood's largest studios and their streaming services — has been stalled by an antitrust lawsuit. In July, the Writers Guild of America and 12 state attorneys general filed suit to block the deal. A judge's early rulings sided with the plaintiffs, and a full trial has been set for March 2027. More than 5,000 people have also signed an anti-merger petition. (Deadline)

Feltheimer is not alone in wanting the tie-up to go through. He joins TKO CEO Ari Emanuel and the heads of the AMC and Regal cinema chains in publicly supporting the merger. The logic, from a studio's perspective, is straightforward: a combined Paramount and WBD could put more money behind a stronger Paramount+ streaming service, and that matters to companies like Lionsgate that sell original shows and library titles to platforms. A better-financed, more competitive streamer is a bigger buyer. (Deadline)

Feltheimer said he has held recent talks with the companies about potential film co-financing opportunities — meaning Lionsgate could help pay for and share in the returns of future film projects. He also gave a personal endorsement to Paramount CEO David Ellison, whose leadership of the combined company has been a point of industry discussion. Feltheimer noted that Lionsgate produced Ellison's first television series, Manhattan, and said he came away impressed. (Deadline)

This is not the first time Feltheimer has voiced frustration with deal-related uncertainty. In November 2025, he called ongoing media and entertainment mergers-and-acquisitions chatter "incredibly disruptive" to the industry. (Deadline)

For viewers, the stakes behind the corporate language are tangible. A merged Paramount-WBD would decide which shows get renewed, which get cancelled, and which streaming libraries survive. The writers suing to stop it argue that fewer competing studios means fewer jobs and less bargaining power for creative workers. The March trial will help determine which side prevails — and in the meantime, the uncertainty Feltheimer wants gone is exactly what the plaintiffs are counting on to keep the deal paused.