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By Jody Godoy

July 23 (Reuters) - Paramount Skydance must pause its $110 billion acquisition of ‌Warner Bros. Discovery through August 17, a ‌federal judge ruled on Thursday.

The move gives Paramount Skydance ​more time to argue against a potential months-long pause while the case plays out. The company has said such a prolonged delay ‌would plunge the ⁠deal into uncertainty and could cost it more than $1 billion.

A California-led coalition ⁠of states have sued to block the deal, saying it would harm competition in film ​and television, ​hurting theaters and ​cable companies. The ‌Writers Guild of America has filed a separate lawsuit alleging the deal would decrease demand for screenwriting work.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín in Oakland, California, previously paused the deal through ‌August 3, when she ​would have held a hearing ​on whether ​to postpone the deal's closing for ‌longer.

Paramount has asked for ​a three-day ​hearing in August where it can present evidence the deal bolsters competition before the ​judge decides ‌on a longer pause.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy ​in New York; Editing by Mark ​Porter and Deepa Babington)