Sony Pictures, Equity Firm Keen On Buying Paramount For $26-B

Sony Pictures and the private equity firm Apollo Global Management have expressed interest in buying Paramount Global for $26 billion, according to a person familiar with the details, Matt Ott and Paul Harloff reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Sony would be the majority shareholder, and Apollo would have a minority stake, according to the person, who requested anonymity because details of the offer have not been made public. I Photo: random letters Flickr

Sony would be the majority shareholder, and Apollo would have a minority stake, according to the person, who requested anonymity because details of the offer have not been made public.

The Sony-Apollo offer was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal reported previously that Apollo had made an offer to buy Paramount on its own, but Paramount’s board had concerns about the bid, including whether it could arrange financing for a deal.

Earlier this week, New York-based Paramount said that Bob Bakish would step down as CEO of the film, television, and multimedia company, to be replaced by a troika of executives who will form a new “Office of the CEO.”