Senator Sanders condemns FCC approval of foreign stakes in proposed Paramount-Warner merger

The Federal Communications Commission approved a petition by Paramount to permit foreign investors to hold up to 49.5% of a company that would result from a merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. The ownership share would include 38.5% from investment funds linked to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a move the commission said serves the public interest.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) denounced the decision on social media, calling it “outrageous” and warning that “we don’t need Middle East dictators to control American media.” Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez echoed the criticism, stating that the approval allows “some of the most repressive governments in the world” indirect control over a major U.S. media conglomerate and that the ruling was made without a full commission vote.

Advocacy groups, including the First Amendment nonprofit Free Press, have asked the FCC to implement safeguards to protect news outlets such as CNN and CBS from foreign influence, suggesting a spin-off of those assets into a wholly American-owned subsidiary. The FCC responded that the concerns were “speculative and unsupported.”

A Paramount spokesperson noted that the Ellison family and RedBird would retain the largest equity stake and 100% of voting shares, with no governance rights for other equity participants. Legal analysts highlighted that the FCC’s condition barring foreign investors from influencing content decisions is difficult to enforce, raising questions about the effectiveness of any firewall.

The controversy surrounds a proposed $111 billion merger that would combine a wide array of media properties, including CBS, CNN, HBO, Discovery Channel, BET, Fandango, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount, PlutoTV, Showtime, TBS, The CW, TNT, Warner Bros., and others.