FCC Lets Nearly Half of Paramount Be Foreign-Owned After Warner Deal
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved Paramount's petition to let 49.5% of its equity sit with foreign entities once its Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition closes. The reason this needs a vote at all: Paramount owns 28 TV stations, and foreign ownership above 25% requires FCC approval.
Variety reports the acquisition is backed by three Gulf parties. What the approval does not settle, at least in the excerpt available, is who exercises control rather than simply holding equity — and the FCC's sign-off is a regulatory gate, not the closing of the deal itself.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The 25% threshold is the whole story here. A company can be almost half foreign-owned as long as regulators agree it is still controlled from home.
Approval of a petition is not the same as clearance of the merger. This is one gate opening, not the finish line.