Updated
Updated · The A.V. Club · Aug 24
Mike Schur Warns Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Would Cut Jobs, Shrink TV Buyers to 1
Updated
Updated · The A.V. Club · Aug 24

Mike Schur Warns Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Would Cut Jobs, Shrink TV Buyers to 1

3 articles · Updated · The A.V. Club · Aug 24

Summary

  • Mike Schur said in a Hollywood Reporter guest column that the pending Paramount-Warner Bros. merger would be "bad for everyone except those at the very top," hurting creatives across television.
  • The veteran showrunner argued another media conglomerate would eliminate industry jobs and reduce commissioning opportunities by further shrinking the buyer's market for new and riskier programming.
  • Schur framed the warning through his own 20-year career, saying that if someone behind shows such as The Good Place, Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine has felt consolidation's harms, others have suffered more.
  • The merger remains on hold, but Schur cast it as part of a broader consolidation trend that he says favors concentrated corporate control over creative risk-taking.

Insights

Will a $111 billion mega-merger destroy Hollywood's creative middle class, or is it the only way to survive the streaming wars?
Could the Paramount-Warner Bros. deal actually kill your favorite unconventional shows before they are even pitched to a network?
Why did the DOJ clear a studio merger that state officials and top creators warn could devastate the entertainment industry?