Paramount–Warner Merger: Arcom Left Without Leverage Due to Lack of Legislation Implementing the Media Freedom Act

Announced for fall 2025, the bill resulting from the National Conference on Information has never been introduced. Behind this delay, the entire French implementation of the Media Freedom Act is now on hold, just as the first major mergers, such as the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger, call for a more rigorous examination of pluralism. It was supposed to be one of the key pieces of legislation for the 2025 political season. Confirmed by Matignon in the summer, expected in the Council of Ministers as early as September, then in December, the bill stemming from the États généraux de l’information, including the provisions for implementing the Media Freedom Act (EMFA), ultimately never saw the light of day. Six months later, the reality is stark. “This bill has disappeared from the radar,” says a representative from the media sector. Within government ministries, the assessment is just as clear: “it has not been referred…