The proposed merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount has taken a new turn in California federal court. A federal judge has set the schedule for the antitrust trial, and it’s not what Paramount wanted.

According to Variety, Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin issued a preliminary scheduling order on Tuesday. She set the trial to begin on March 2, 2027. The trial will conclude on March 19, 2027, and a final pretrial conference is set for February 24, 2027.

In a July 31 filing, Paramount asked the court to hold the trial in November 2026. The coalition of 12 state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America, meanwhile, requested an April 2027 trial date. The court ultimately settled on a March 2027 trial schedule, which is much later than what Paramount hoped for.

(Photo Credit: Paramount)

Judge sets a 12-day schedule for the March 2027 trial

Under the new order, the trial will take place in court for 12 days from March 2, 2027 through March 19, 2027. The judge also ordered the parties to submit a joint case management statement by August 13, 2026, before the first case management conference on August 19.

The timing carries major financial consequences for Paramount. Starting October 1, the company must pay Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders $7 million per day until the merger closes. That means every additional month before the trial increases the financial cost of the deal. Paramount argued that any delay would hurt “the creative industry, the individuals who work within it, and the consumers who benefit from it.”

Paramount won the heated bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery after offering $31 per share in an all-cash deal worth $110.9 billion, including debt. Netflix had also bid $82.7 billion to acquire WBD before withdrawing from the bidding process and refusing to match Paramount’s higher offer. Netflix’s offer focused only on Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets. Meanwhile, Paramount agreed to acquire the entire company, including its linear cable networks.

WBD shareholders have also approved the deal. However, the deal now remains on hold due to the ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by a coalition of attorneys general from 12 states and the Writers Guild of America (WGA).