Paramount takeover saga heats up as Edgar Bronfman Jr readies bid
Adds offer by Edgar Bronfman Jr.
Aug 16 (Reuters) -Edgar Bronfman Jr. is preparing an offer for National Amusements, the parent company of Paramount Global PARA.O, a month after the media conglomerate agreed to merge with David Ellison's Skydance Media.
The merger journey could take a new turn if Paramount finds another acceptable bidder before its go-shop period ends on Aug. 21.
National Amusements, which holds the Redstone family's controlling stake in Paramount,is one of the largest media companies in the United States, with Paramount Pictures, CBS and Viacom under its umbrella.
Paramount and Skydance agreed to merge in July in a two-step process whereSkydance and its deal partners wouldacquire National Amusements for $2.4 billion in cash. Following that,Skydance wouldmerge with Paramount, offering shareholders $4.5 billion in cash or stock, and add $1.5 billion to Paramount's balance sheet.
Here are the key events in the takeover saga:
Year | Events |
December 2019 | CBS Corp and Viacom merge to form ViacomCBS, combining mogul Sumner Redstone's media units 13 years after a split. ViacomCBS acquires a 49% stake in film studio Miramax from BeIN Media Group for $375 million |
September 2020 | ViacomCBS rebrands a CBS streaming service to Paramount+ and launches it in international markets. Sells CNET Media Group to Red Ventures for $500 million |
November 2021 | ViacomCBS agrees to sell CBS Studio Center to private firms for $1.85 billion |
February 2022 | ViacomCBS changes its name to Paramount Global |
December 2023 | The chief executives of Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount are reported to be in talks for a potential deal between the companies |
January 2024 | Skydance CEO David Ellison reportedly explores an all-cash bid to acquire Paramount parent, National Amusements |
January 2024 | Media entrepreneur Byron Allen submits a $30 billion offer for Paramount, including debt and equity |
March 2024 | India's Reliance Industries agrees to buy Paramount's entire 13.01% stake in local entertainment network, Viacom18 Media, for about $517 million |
March 2024 | Apollo Global Management reportedly offers to buy Paramount Pictures film studio for $11 billion |
April 2024 | Paramount's board reportedly agrees to enter into exclusive merger talks with Skydance |
April 2024 | Paramount replaces CEO Bob Bakish with an office of CEO comprising CBS President and CEO George Cheeks, Paramount Pictures studio chief Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy, head of Showtime, MTV and other networks |
June 2024 | Edgar Bronfman Jr, former chairman of Warner Music, reportedly expresses an interest in buying National Amusements, Paramount's controlling shareholder |
June 2024 | Sumner's daughter and National Amusements President Shari Redstone abruptly ends talks with Skydance |
July 2024 | Barry Diller's digital media conglomerate, IAC, reportedly explores a bid for Paramount and enters into non-disclosure agreements with National Amusements |
July 2024 | National Amusements reportedly reaches a preliminary deal to sell its controlling interest in Paramount to Skydance |
July 2024 | Skydance Media and Paramount agree to merge in a two-step process, offering shareholders $4.5 billion in cash or stock |
August 2024 | Edgar Bronfman Jr. preparesa bid for National Amusements, andthe offer could fall in place over thecoming days |
Skydance Media, Paramount agree to merger Skydance Media, Paramount agree to merger https://reut.rs/3XV6Ifl
Reporting by Priyanka.G, Yuvraj Malik and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila, Pooja Desai and Devika Syamnath
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