Exclusive - China's Wanda shows interest in Viacom's Paramount: sources

(Reuters) - Chinese real estate and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group has held talks with Viacom Inc about acquiring a minority stake in its Paramount Pictures unit, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Wanda's interest adds new urgency to the deliberations over the future of Paramount, which has become the flashpoint of a bitter row between Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and the company's controlling shareholder, Sumner Redstone.

Redstone has so far opposed the sale, which is not possible without his consent. Other parties besides Wanda have also expressed an interest in Paramount, and there is no certainty any deal will be reached, the people said this week.

 

The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is not public. Viacom declined to comment, while Wanda did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Liana Baker in San Francisco and Jessica Toonkel in New York; Editing by Andrew Hay)