GoKawiilFCC approves Paramount's 49.5% foreign equity sale to Gulf sovereign funds
The FCC has approved Paramount Skydance's request to waive federal foreign-ownership limits, allowing indirect foreign ownership to reach 49.5 percent through investments from sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. The funds, totaling roughly $24 billion, are tied to Paramount's pending $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal already cleared by the Justice Department but still facing a lawsuit from several US states.
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Paramount owns CBS and 28 local broadcast licenses, making this one of the largest foreign investments ever approved in a US media company with direct control over news and entertainment content. The lone Democratic commissioner warned that such a large stake from authoritarian governments could translate into real influence over programming and editorial decisions, raising concerns about press independence at a company that would also control CNN if the Warner merger closes.
- FCC waived the 25% foreign ownership cap, letting foreign stakes in Paramount reach 49.5%.
- Saudi, UAE, and Qatari sovereign wealth funds are contributing about $24 billion tied to the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition.
- Critics warn the investment could give repressive governments leverage over US news and entertainment content, including CBS and potentially CNN.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-18
Published there as: “FCC lets Paramount sell 49.5% equity stake to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar”
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