5/1: The Rumble Report | The World Rumble Co.

The Rumble Report: Warnermount Merger Faces Lawsuit; HOORAE Vertical Series on TikTok; The Prestige Filmmaker Dilemma

We’re back; let’s get right into it. The Atlanta Film Festival is going strong, and you just have 3 days left to enjoy.

The Paramount-Warner Deal Lawsuit

This is just one of the many lawsuits coming as an affront to the mega-merger. It also could get tossed if the case is not strong enough, but it is not the only one present. Filings have begun from many consumers who denounce the deal and its ramifications for competition and antitrust suits in the country. The plaintiffs allege that in 3 major markets: premium video programming distribution, national television news programming, and theatrical distribution, there will be competition gridlocks. Now, you technically cannot sue to block a merger on the consumer side, but this is a way to derail the process and slow down the merger’s momentum just after the board voted ‘yes’ last week to proceed. State Attorney Generals, federal, and other foreign governments can sue to block this merger if this is the case. They are citing and employing the Clayton Act, which prohibits mergers that lessen competition and gives private individuals the right to sue.

This was bound to happen. Headlines in the news last week and into this one, discussing the foreign funds to support the acquisition, have raised eyebrows and red flags from many. You’re telling me that I have almost 49.5% share, and I don’t have voting rights. I don’t get decision-making power, and I’m just giving money away for free? No one just does that. Now, there is some apparent quid pro quo at play, but we’ll uncover that later. (Oracle…) It doesn’t seem plausible, so the makings of their deal will eventually have to become public. The FCC had to approve the request of the foreign-backed funds because, traditionally and legally, it’s upward of 25% of interest involved, but they did go ahead and allow the 49.5% of the funding.

As of this morning, Congressman Liccardo (D-CA) has proposed that the FCC deny Paramount’s request to allow the foreign investors to acquire nearly half of its equity. (Source: Alex Weprin , Hollywood Reporter). Now, if you don’t know, Brendan Carr would be the guy to have to deny, and that’s like pulling teeth from a hippo. But anything is possible. Weprin also broke the news via THR early this week about the percentage of funding from foreign investors, which turned into a discussion of more concern on Twitter and other social media.

In other news, the Nexstar x TEGNA merger is also entering the arena, and this will only go as far as the Paramount-Warner deal goes, as anything in this country progresses, it is contingent on the previous deal being completed. I am certain that if more pressure is put on the $PSKY and $WBD deal, then there will be a swift conclusion for the Nexstar and TEGNA acquisition incoming.

The Writers Guild of America still has their internal strike, but they have succeeded in avoiding a major strike against studios. Ratification of the deal is soon to hit the streets. However, they are still ready to authorize a strike against the merger with their sister guilds as concerns from artists grow.

There is still European approval; Australia has begun its review of the deal, and oversight on the foreign funds must be carefully reviewed before proceeding. The stalls in this machine could trigger the fees that Warner Bros. could be seeking. It will take a while for the state attorneys general to get together on this, but time will tell, and we have a short trip before Quarter 3’s clock begins to tick.

HOORAE Media and TikTok‘s “SCREEN TIME

I just watched the 27-episode TikTok vertical series by HOORAE Media yesterday, and I was hooked. I had a meeting at 10:30 am, and I finished at 10:29 just in time. My morning was on the edge! The new vertical series by Rae and company has amassed over 40M views within 2 days, and fans, newcomers, and avid mobile users are still running up the numbers. I think once again, Issa and her team have cracked the code. 10 years ago this year, Insecure aired on HBO, and prior to that, 3 years before, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl changed YouTube and digital media forever. One thing you can say about Issa, she will always be on top of the trends and keep her fingers on the pulse of the culture. They got it right, and it wasn’t like the verticals you’ve seen before.

Congratulations to the company’s new venture, and I see a successful future for the state of verticals. One commenter stated that they were so hooked, they paused watching Netflix to engage. That’s what I’m talking about. Watch the 27 episodes on TikTok now, and part two comes May 22nd, 2026. See you in the comments!

Prestige Film is Messing up the Game

I was having a lovely conversation with a new friend, and we discussed our opinions on the state of the industry. The topic of interest is how prestige cinema has shaken the game up to a point where shows are only doing it for big budgets and quality upscale, but still flopping. We do need low-brow and expansive works that fit in a decent budget range and are watchable. For example, it’s the difference between Euphoria and Forever on Netflix, centered on real issues with teens but with two vastly different budgets, formulas, and, of course, niches. But there are some overlaps; the difference being the edginess of Euphoria, the cast, and the platform, HBO, calls for it to be larger than it is. But Forever, on Netflix, joins Thirteen Reasons Why, Ginny & Georgia, and other teen shows that did not have to go so far and had positive audience responses, albeit mixed; they stood out. It is, in fact, the reason we are not even getting past the second or third seasons of the show. Everything must leave you discussing more afterward, but it leaves much to be desired. A lot of the business now is hellbent on ensuring longevity by winning awards rather than entertaining. They must do both, but prestige films and TV are made to win awards and impress people. The best analogy is this: I enjoy eating fresh and clean foods at home, but sometimes I do like to indulge in fast foods like Chipotle or Burger King. It’s the difference between me cooking a porterhouse steak and going to get a burger from some restaurant. We do deserve the spectrum of five-star meals to no-star meals.

Marty Supreme was made in prestige, which, if you look at A24 and the Safdie brothers’ work before, makes sense. Uncut Gems had a lot of cool cameos, a thrilling story, and Adam Sandler took it. I mean a class act. However, Marty Supreme, to me, was definitely bait. It won its awards, but it was seeking the acclaim, not earning.

We’re just seeking a balance, and some shows are not meant to be of a certain caliber, and others are doing just fine being of a specific class. Not everything we have to bring needs to be high-brow, but it does have to have quality. Let’s not conflate the two, prestige cinema and quality, because some miss the mark, too. Quality is not just in how it looks but also in the execution of the project, the story, and the potential trajectory. There is nothing wrong with prestige; it’s just when there is so much of it and the focus on it, we lose out on the mid-tier good stuff, too.

Conclusion

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Until next time, stay groundbreaking.