Paramount Bid for Warner Bros Fueled by Billions in Foreign Money and Jared Kushner's Private Equity Firm

"Paramount's tender offer is for $30 per share, which would all be paid in cash, compared to Netflix's $27.75 offer, which is a mix of cash and stock. Netflix's offer is worth about $83 billion. Ellison and his investors are offering more for WBD while also aiming to acquire more as THR reported, Netflix is only buying WBD's streaming and studios business, while Paramount is pursuing the whole company."

"Kushner's inclusion in Paramount Skydance's offer comes after Netflix boss Ted Sarandos recently met with his father-in-law, President Donald Trump, according to The New York Post and Bloomberg; Sarandos was making his case for why Netflix acquiring WBD would not be an antitrust violation. Trump on Sunday praised Sarandos as a shrewd businessman, but also said Netflix's bid for WBD could be a problem. David Ellison's father, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, is also a big supporter of President Trump."

Paramount Skydance launched a $108 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, offering $30 per share in cash. A filing confirms the tender offer is supported by $24 billion in debt financing from sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, and by Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. Paramount's bid targets the entire company, while Netflix's $27.75-per-share offer, a mix of cash and stock worth about $83 billion, would acquire only WBD's streaming and studios business. WBD owns HBO Max, Discovery+, and franchises such as Harry Potter, Looney Tunes, and DC Comics. David Ellison criticized Netflix's offer as inferior.

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