Since Ellison committed to hold off on the merger until the case was resolved, based on this decision, the merger is years away if happening. Paramount is unsurprisingly unhappy at such a late trial date as they’d asked for a trial date no later than November 2026.

The judge hearing the antitrust case seeking to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger has issued a preliminary scheduling order, with a trial set to start in March 2027 — considerably later than Paramount was hoping for.

Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin on Tuesday issued a ruling that said the trial will run a total of 12 court days, beginning Tuesday, March 2, 2027, and ending March 19. In her order, she said a final pretrial conference will be held Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2027. The judge said the parties must submit a joint case management statement by no later than noon on Aug. 13, 2026, for an initial case management conference on Aug. 19.