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FCC lets Saudi, Qatari, Abu Dhabi funds take 49.5% of Paramount-Warner Bros.

The FCC has waived its 25 percent cap on foreign equity ownership to approve a deal allowing sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi to collectively hold up to 49.5 percent of the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. entity. The agency argued the stakes carry no voting rights and therefore no control, but critics including Free Press and Commissioner Anna Gomez dispute that reasoning.

theverge.com · 2026-09-18

Paramount used astroturf nonprofit to fake public support for Warner Bros merger

Paramount reportedly enlisted a nonprofit called Neighbors for Strong Communities to send Californians mass text messages urging them to pressure state Attorney General Rob Bonta to drop his antitrust suit against the $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros deal. The messages warned that blocking the merger could cost thousands of jobs, citing owner Larry Ellison's reported threat to relocate Paramount to Texas.

techdirt.com · 2026-09-08