In 2022, it eyed a joint bid for Starz with Roku, but the deal never happened.
Its majority stake in Cox Media could present a regulatory challenge if Apollo aims to buy CBS's local broadcast stations, Axios noted.
Debt-laden Paramount is under pressure to find a partner or buyer as it struggles to make its streaming service profitable while traditional advertising revenue slides.
The post Apollo Global Management Eyes Paramount Bid | Report appeared first on TheWrap.
Warner Bros. Discovery also reportedly considered buying some or all of the entertainment conglomerate's assets, but backed off last month.
The report said Apollo is looking at a deal only with Paramount, which would involve Paramount Pictures, the CBS network, along with Comedy Central, BET and other Viacom cable networks and the streaming services Paramount+ and PlutoTV.
"It's also possible that Apollo could wind up bidding only on select assets," Axios reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Paramount declined to comment on the report to TheWrap.
Shares of Paramount Global initially jumped about 5% on the report, but the gains quickly disappeared. The stock was trading down 5 cents to 11.57, down nearly 20% since the start of the year, in late morning.
Apollo has long invested in news and entertainment companies, including purchasing "American Idol" owner CKx in 2011. It also has or previously held interests in Barnes & Noble, Cox Media Group, Legendary Entertainment, Redbox, Sirius Satellite Radio. It also bought Yahoo Inc. from Verizon in 2021.
The company faces competition, including a bid from Byron Allen, who in January offered to buy Paramount Global for $14 billion. The entertainment conglomerate's parent, National Amusements, has also gotten an offer from David Ellison's Skydance Media in a bid that was backed by rival private equity firms RedBird Capital Partners and KKR.
Paramount Global has agreed to sell its 13 percent stake in Indian media company Viacom18 to Reliance Industries.
The sale price is approximately $517 million, according to a new securities filing. Reliance, a multinational conglomerate, is already the majority shareholder in Viacom18.
Existing properties at Viacom18 include streaming service JioCinema and channels including Colors, Comedy Central and MTV.
In late February, Disney inked a deal with Reliance Industries to form a joint venture that brings together Reliance’s Viacom18 and Disney’s Star India.
The stake was sold to Reliance Industries, the Mumbai-based majority shareholder in the company.Under the terms of that deal, Reliance will invest $1.4 billion into the JV, which is valued at $8.5 billion. Disney will provide a content license to the JV, and “may also contribute certain additional media assets to the JV, subject to regulatory and third-party approvals,” the company says. The JV will also have the exclusive right to distribute Disney films and productions in India.
The closing of the Paramount’s Viacom deal is subject to regulatory conditions as well as the “completion of a previously announced joint venture involving Reliance, Viacom18 and Star Disney,” according to the filing.
After closing, Paramount will still license its content to Viacom18.
The deal comes as Paramount’s own future remains uncertain. In December, the studio held talks with Warner Bros. Discovery about a possible merger, a source confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. More recently, media mogul Byron Allen submitted a $30 billion offer, including debt and equity, for Paramount Global.