WB shareholders okay Paramount’s $81bn takeover

An $81 billion Warner-Paramount mega merger has received shareholders’ stamp of approval, propelling a deal that could vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape closer to the finish line.According to a preliminary vote count on Thursday, the overwhelming majority of Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted in support of selling the entire business to Paramount for $31 a share, the company said.Paramount wants to buy all of Warner. But it’s not a done deal quite yet. The acquisition still faces regulatory reviews. Warner has said it expects to close sometime in the third fiscal quarter. Meanwhile, Warner shareholders rejected a separate measure on Thursday that outlined post-merger payments for company executives.