As one American billionaire wages war on a Middle-Eastern country, another hopes to charm some of their richest people. If David Ellison wants to buy Warner Bros. as well as own Paramount, he's going to need some powerful friends, and it's believed that should the deal go through, almost half of Paramount's equity will be owned by indirect foreign interest.
This statistic was discovered in a recent request from Paramount to the FCC. Paramount wished for the government's approval of the foreign ownership stake in the company, to help get the WB deal through. As per Deadline, Paramount said that the foreign investments, including a 38.5% holding shared by three Middle East investment funds, will add "greater access to capital" to Paramount.
Paramount does note that non-US stakeholders are given no voting control and are seen as passive backers, even if after the Warner deal they could make up approximately 49.5% of the combined company. What concerns people most doesn't seem to be foreign voting power, but potential interests being reflected in the news cycle of CBS and CNN, both of which will be kept under the Paramount label if the deal goes through.
It's currently projected the deal will officially close by September. Most of the regulatory hurdles Paramount could have faced have been overcome. There are some who believe legal action may be taken against the deal, but currently it seems smooth sailing for Paramount and Warner Bros. to become one.
