According to an agency report, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has withdrawn from the bidding battle for the Hollywood group Warner Brothers.
Dec 17, 2025, 02:18Dec 17, 2025, 02:18
Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners was among the backers of Warner rival Paramount’s $108.4 billion bid. Affinity has decided not to pursue the plan, a spokesman told the financial service Bloomberg.
According to Bloomberg information, Affinity wanted to contribute a small portion of around $200 million to Paramount’s bid. In the USA, however, the involvement of a member of the presidential family has caused criticism in recent days. Kushner is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka.
Jared Kushner (left) also recently played an important role in the Ukraine negotiations.Image: keystone
The streaming giant Netflix prevailed on Warner management with an offer of almost $83 billion just for the studio and streaming business. Paramount, on the other hand, wants to buy the entire current Warner Bros. Discovery group including the TV channels – including CNN.
Trump wants new owner for CNN
Trump demanded that if there was a Warner deal, the news channel would also have to change ownership. The US President is often criticized on CNN. Paramount has been owned by the family of software billionaire Larry Ellison, who is known as a Trump supporter, for a few months now. After the takeover, there was a remodeling in the newsroom of the Paramount broadcaster CBS. The new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss also offered a platform for Erika Kirk, the widow of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed by an assassin.
Since Warner preferred the Netflix bid, Paramount decided to go directly to shareholders with an offer. You initially have until the beginning of January to accept it. One of the things that bothered Warner management was that the Paramount offer also included $24 billion from the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. However, they want to forego the right to have a say in the business, for example through a seat on the board of directors. (sda/dpa)