Warner Bros shareholders approve Paramount's $111bn takeover

warner bros discovery shareholders approved the $111bn takeover by paramount on thursday. the deal would give paramount control of harry potter, game of thrones, cnn, and other warner bros titles. chair samuel dipiazza said it will "unlock the full value of our world-class entertainment portfolio." the deal still needs approval from the us department of justice and european regulators. paramount is backed by tech billionaire larry ellison and run by his son david. ellison is hosting a dinner with trump on thursday at the us institute of peace in washington dc, while protesters including hulk actor mark ruffalo plan to demonstrate outside. trump has called for cnn to be sold as part of the deal, calling its bosses "corrupt or incompetent." more than 1,400 actors and filmmakers, including emma thompson and javier bardem, signed a letter in april warning the takeover will mean "fewer opportunities for creators" and "higher costs." senator elizabeth warren called it "an anti-trust disaster." forrester analyst mike proulx said washington will likely approve it, but european regulators will shape the timing and terms. paramount expects the deal to close by september.