FCC grants Paramount's indirect ownership request for Gulf funds in Warner Bros. Discovery buyout

As Paramount looks to take over Warner Bros. Discovery, it’s racked up billions of dollars in financial backing from three Gulf countries. The FCC cleared the way on Thursday, granting sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to hold indirect equity interests in a Paramount-Warner combo, but no voting stakes. Skydance-owned Paramount — whose $81 billion merger with Warner is still on hold amid a separate antitrust battle with twelve states and Hollywood writers — welcomed the FCC's ruling.