As Paramount (PSKY) haggles with AG Bonta over a possible settlement meeting, Co. has imposed a information lockdown, reports FBN's Gasparino citing sources

Deal reviews by state attorneys general sit alongside the federal antitrust process and have historically added friction and timeline uncertainty rather than outright blocks, with outcomes usually arriving as negotiated settlements carrying conduct or divestiture conditions. Haggling over the terms of a settlement meeting, as opposed to the substance, is characteristic of the early procedural phase; in comparable episodes the sequence runs from information demands, to negotiated remedy, to clearance, and the market read tends to track whether the parties are engaging or digging in. An internal information lockdown is standard practice once a transaction enters active regulatory negotiation, intended to control leaks and preserve privilege, and has not by itself signalled direction in past deals. The reporter cited has a track record of sourcing inside deal processes, and items from this channel have tended to be followed by confirmation or denial from the principals within days. Worth watching is whether the federal review posture shifts in parallel, since state-level resistance alone has rarely stopped large media combinations but has widened deal spreads while talks are live.