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Kushner's Affinity Partners Exits Warner Bros. Battle

12/17/2025

Center

Kushner Exits Warner Deal

Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners has exited the Warner Bros. takeover battle after Warner Bros. rejected a Paramount bid backed by Kushner.
Warner Bros. prefers its existing deal with Netflix over Paramount's $108.4 billion offer.
Affinity Partners described its $200 million contribution as minor and cited changing investment dynamics for its withdrawal.
Paramount's bid is supported by Middle Eastern investors, raising antitrust concerns.

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Kushner Drives Ceasefire Talks

Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, has become a key figure in Gaza ceasefire talks and Ukraine rebuilding efforts.
He shifted from claiming he would avoid politics to leveraging his business relationships for influential diplomacy.
Kushner faces criticism for financial ties to foreign governments, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.
Affinity Partners is financing a Paramount bid, potentially affecting Netflix's Warner Bros. acquisition.

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Kushner Withdraws Hotel Project

Affinity Partners, Jared Kushner's private equity firm, withdraws from a $500 million Belgrade hotel project.
The project aimed to create the first Trump International Hotel in Europe but faced backlash and protests over cultural protections.
Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian President, condemned the indictments as a 'witch hunt' and said he would pardon implicated officials.
The withdrawal underscores tensions between United States interests and local governance in Serbia.

History

Historical Context

In 2021, AT&T spun off WarnerMedia, merging it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal, following AT&T's $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner in 2018. This shift reflects ongoing challenges in the media landscape, as seen in Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners withdrawing from a $500 million Serbian hotel project, paralleling Paramount's $108.4 billion bid rejection, highlighting complexities in foreign investment and governance.

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Kushner Exits Warner Deal

Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners has exited the Warner Bros. takeover battle after Warner Bros. rejected a Paramount bid backed by Kushner.
Warner Bros. prefers its existing deal with Netflix over Paramount's $108.4 billion offer.
Affinity Partners described its $200 million contribution as minor and cited changing investment dynamics for its withdrawal.
Paramount's bid is supported by Middle Eastern investors, raising antitrust concerns.

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