The media industry is on the brink of another massive consolidation, with Paramount’s acquisition by Comcast tied to Skydance’s purchase. This potential merger should raise serious concerns among regulators and the public due to the overwhelming risks it poses to competition, content diversity, and consumer welfare. Here’s why allowing this deal to go forward would only deepen a problematic monopoly, stifling competition and hurting everyone but the few at the top.

1. Market Concentration and Reduced Competition

A merger between Paramount and Comcast—two of the biggest media conglomerates—creates unprecedented concentration in a shrinking field of major players. Paramount’s established entertainment network, with assets across television, film, and streaming, combined with Comcast’s immense power in cable, broadband, and streaming platforms, would create a company with dominance across multiple channels of media consumption. With its links to organized crime.

Consider the potential impact on competition:

• With fewer major players, there would be diminished competition, leading to fewer choices for consumers and a homogenization of content.
• Smaller and independent content creators, already struggling to compete with corporate-backed studios, would find it nearly impossible to break into the market.
• Cable providers, ISPs, and streaming services would come under tighter control, allowing Comcast and Paramount to set prices with minimal competitive pressure.

2. Control Over Content Creation and Distribution

This merger would allow Comcast and Paramount to exert undue control over both the creation and distribution of content:

• Control Over Storytelling: By dominating media pipelines, these conglomerates could favor certain narratives and sideline others, shaping public perception and debate. With both companies’ extensive reach in news, sports, and entertainment, they could use this control to influence opinions and limit discourse, posing a threat to media freedom.
• Selective Distribution and Streaming: Paramount’s media library combined with Comcast’s distribution channels (like Xfinity and Peacock) means they could limit or restrict content across platforms to suit business interests. Comcast could block competitors from distributing popular Paramount content or charge premium rates for access.

3. Increased Vertical Integration

This merger creates intense vertical integration, where a single entity controls every level of the media chain—from production and distribution to delivery:

• Paramount’s studios, TV networks, and production companies would join forces with Comcast’s cable systems, internet service, and streaming platforms, forming a complete control system over the entire content pipeline.
• Vertical integration enables Comcast and Paramount to dictate prices across different stages, effectively pushing up costs for smaller providers who might rely on Comcast’s infrastructure, ultimateley passing these costs on to consumers.

4. Consumer Costs and Reduced Quality

One of the biggest risks is the potential for increased consumer costs and reduced content quality:

• Rising Prices: Fewer media companies mean less competitive pricing, and Comcast’s track record for raising prices on internet and cable services is well-known. This merger would likely lead to price hikes not just on cable and broadband but also on streaming services, as content becomes locked behind exclusive platforms.
• Content Quality: Mergers often lead to budget cuts and standardized production practices, prioritizing profits over artistic or journalistic quality. Content would be created to appeal to the broadest possible audience, watering down creative risks and limiting diverse voices.

5. Chilling Effect on Journalism and Investigative Reporting

In monopolized media environments, investigative journalism and critical reporting are often casualties:

• Comcast and Paramount both have vested interests across various industries and political connections. By consolidating control, these entities could stifle journalistic independence, promoting coverage that aligns with their interests while suppressing critical reporting that doesn’t.
• A merger reduces the number of media outlets independent enough to take on powerful interests, a vital function for democracy and transparency. In a time when the public increasingly relies on media for accurate information, concentrating such power in one company threatens the integrity of news.

6. Lack of Accountability and Regulatory Capture

Media mergers like this one tend to expose the gaps in regulatory enforcement:

• The merger between Comcast and NBCUniversal, which had strict conditions to prevent anti-competitive practices, is a prime example of how poorly such rules are enforced. Comcast’s violations of those conditions show that similar promises of maintaining competition and consumer benefits can often be ignored post-merger.
• The SEC and FCC have shown leniency towards big media deals, often allowing firms to evade full regulatory compliance. Granting Comcast and Paramount more power without genuine oversight means accountability will likely remain superficial.

7. Impact on Content Diversity and Cultural Representation

Consolidation impacts cultural representation on screen by prioritizing content that caters to mainstream, high-profit markets:

• Smaller, diverse creators are already marginalized within Hollywood, and further consolidation would only exacerbate this. Comcast and Paramount, driven by shareholder profit maximization, would likely focus on safer, high-grossing projects, sidelining underrepresented voices in media.
• Consolidated companies have fewer incentives to create culturally rich or experimental content, homogenizing representation and erasing cultural nuances essential to a diverse media landscape.

8. Ignoring Public Sentiment and Igniting Backlash

Allowing Paramount and Comcast to merge could face substantial public backlash, highlighting a growing resentment toward monopolistic practices:

• Consumers and creators alike are pushing back against conglomerate dominance, and approving this merger would signal regulatory apathy towards genuine public concern.
• Critics argue that monopolistic media practices are at odds with a free-market system, and public sentiment increasingly favors a fair, competitive media environment. The public has become more vocal about demanding accountability, diversity, and competition.

The Path Forward: Strengthening Oversight, Not Merging Power

The Paramount-Comcast merger, fueled by Skydance’s acquisition, is not only anti-competitive but threatens the diversity, integrity, and accessibility of media. Allowing two media giants to merge would only reinforce an already monopolized market, creating a landscape where profits trump public service, competition, and creativity.

Conclusion: Block the Merger to Preserve Media’s Integrity

The FTC, SEC, and FCC should take decisive action to prevent further concentration in the media landscape. For the sake of competition, diversity, and consumer welfare, blocking this merger is essential to prevent an unbreakable monopoly over the media industry. Consumers, creators, and communities deserve a media environment that values quality, independence, and diversity—goals this merger would move further out of reach. By blocking the merger, regulators can set a precedent that prioritizes public good over private monopoly, making media more accountable, inclusive, and competitive.