Documentary makers and industry experts are sounding the alarm over the proposed mega-merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, warning that uniting two of the world’s most extensive broadcast news archives under a single corporate roof could severely restrict access to crucial historical footage. (Reuters)
The concerns were raised in a formal letter sent to UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy by the Archival Producers Alliance. Representing over 650 research specialists across the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally, the group urged the British government to intervene in the deal to safeguard public access to key historical records.
At the center of the dispute are two irreplaceable media libraries. Warner Bros. controls CNN’s vast vault, containing over four million assets spanning 45 years of pivotal global events, elections, and conflicts. Meanwhile, Paramount holds the CBS News archive, which encompasses 85 years of broadcast history, raw B-roll, and unedited outtakes. Bringing both collections together under unified control would create an unprecedented, privately held monopoly over decades of broadcast journalism.
Documentary creators rely on these materials as the foundational lifeblood of their work. Unlike government or public archives, licensing permissions for private collections remain entirely at the discretion of the corporate owner. Independent filmmakers fear that a single combined entity could easily reject licensing requests if a project’s political tone, framing, or critical examination clashes with corporate interests or talent.
To demonstrate the risk of selective access, archivists pointed to a past case where a filmmaker was denied access to previously licensed military footage simply because the country was engaged in war and the clip presented soldiers in a negative light. If access is blocked, filmmakers rarely have any alternative sources, leaving significant historical narratives untold or sanitized.
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy has previously expressed broader reservations regarding how the deal might impact media pluralism, international news coverage, children’s programming, and streaming competition. The government is evaluating whether to launch a formal intervention under the UK Enterprise Act 2002, alongside ongoing antitrust reviews set to reach preliminary decisions in early August. Archival producers maintain that if the deal proceeds, regulatory authorities must mandate strict conditions to guarantee continued public access and long-term preservation of these vital historic assets.