Paramount Skydance Secures $24B of Foreign Funding for Warner Bros. Merger

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After a competitive bidding process that concluded in February 2026, David Ellison’s company won the deal for $111 billion. Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, Paramount Skydance has announced it has secured $24 billion in funding from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi to finance the acquisition.

The proposed deal is still awaiting final approval, and securing funding has been a major undertaking for Paramount. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will contribute $10 billion, while funds from Abu Dhabi and Qatar will cover the remaining $14 billion. Additionally, Chinese internet company Tencent is investing, though the exact amount is unknown. They initially pledged $1 billion but faced rejection due to concerns about foreign ownership; they’ve since rejoined the investment group.

Larry Ellison, father of Paramount’s CEO David Ellison and co-founder of Oracle, will contribute less of his own money to the company’s funding deal. He had previously pledged up to $46.7 billion, but a new agreement with investors in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi will allow him to reduce his financial contribution.

The Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal Is A High-Stakes Game

Ultimately, Paramount Skydance made the highest offer, agreeing to pay $31 per share in cash. This deal will likely require the company to take on a considerable amount of debt once it receives approval from regulators. Shareholders are scheduled to vote on the merger on April 23rd.

Taking on this much debt will probably mean cost cuts and careful spending for Paramount. However, buying Warner Bros.—including HBO, CNN, and popular franchises like Harry Potter—could finally give Paramount a strong competitor’s position in the streaming market, currently led by Netflix and Disney. If Paramount manages this complex merger successfully – something that’s been difficult for companies in the past – it could grow large enough to succeed in the evolving media world. Acquiring Warner Bros. has the potential to dramatically change Paramount’s prospects.

Many believe a Paramount-Warner Bros. partnership is more appealing to viewers because Paramount is committed to supporting both movie theaters and content creation. This means new movies will still be shown in cinemas alongside being available for streaming, a strategy that might have changed if Netflix, which focuses primarily on streaming, had acquired Warner Bros.

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2026-04-08 00:13