Why a Saudi Backed Purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery Is Highly Unlikely
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been floated in online rumors as a potential buyer for Warner Bros. Discovery, but a Saudi takeover is extremely unlikely for several concrete reasons.
Any foreign attempt to acquire a major U.S. media company would trigger a strict CFIUS review (the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States), and Saudi ownership of assets like CNN, HBO, DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Pictures would raise immediate national security concerns about propaganda, censorship, and foreign government influence over American news and entertainment.
Congress has already objected to far smaller Saudi investments, and the political climate makes approval for a Saudi controlled CNN or Hollywood studio virtually impossible.
Even a minority Saudi stake in a Comcast led bid would face political resistance, heavy conditions, and potential carve outs to ensure PIF has no editorial or operational influence.
The rumor mill has only gotten louder thanks to fan sites and unverified insiders, not credible business reporting.
Reputable outlets like Reuters, Bloomberg, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter have reported zero confirmation of a Saudi bid, yet online speculation thrives because some fans desperately WANT to believe it.
A perfect example is Hollywood producer and TikToker Patrick Caligiuri, who claimed Saudi Arabia is “one signature away” from buying WBD… but in the exact same video admits he could be wrong and that everything could “blow up” at any moment.
That’s not insider knowledge… that's hedging so he can’t be blamed when the fantasy collapses.
Anyone can whisper that a giant fund might make an offer, that doesn’t mean the board will approve it, shareholders will back it, or U.S. and global regulators will ever let it close.
People are connecting these dots to Zack Snyder because they miss their Snyderverse movies and think a foreign takeover is their magical shortcut to getting two films back. (Weren’t they Hashtagging Netflix on November 17th?)
They’re not thinking about the long term stability of a century old studio, its thousands of employees, or the historic legacy of Warner Bros… Nope, they just want their nostalgia hit.
Frankly, the people celebrating this rumor as if it guarantees their headcanon future are sad and pathetic.
Politically, this would be nuclear. Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, prior foreign influence controversies, and ongoing tensions with Congress make it nearly impossible for any U.S. administration be it Democrat or Republican to approve a Saudi takeover of a Hollywood studio and a major news organization.
Congress, advocacy groups, journalists, WGA/SAG, and every press freedom organization would oppose it loudly and publicly.
There is no plausible political path where the U.S. allows a foreign government to control CNN, HBO, DC Studios, or one of Hollywood’s major content engines.
A Saudi takeover of WBD simply will not happen. U.S. regulators won’t allow it. Congress won’t allow it. And the geopolitical optics make it impossible.
At absolute best, Saudi Arabia could end up as a silent financial co-investor behind an American bidder… with no control, no influence, and heavy restrictions, but even that is far from guaranteed.
The idea of WBD being owned outright by a foreign government, especially Saudi Arabia, is effectively a non starter.
Even in a high stakes media sale, some scenarios simply aren’t realistic. This is one of them.
