Thirty years after getting squeezed out in an epic battle for control of Paramount Pictures, Barry Diller appears to be trying again. The 82-year-old media titan is among the suitors who have expressed interest in buying the Redstone family's Massachusetts-based holding firm, National Amusements Inc., which controls the voting shares of media company Paramount Global, according to two knowledgeable people who were not authorized to comment publicly.
The list of potential suitors includes former top Seagram and Warner Music executive Edgar Bronfman Jr., as well as Hollywood producer Steven Paul . Any deal is contingent on due diligence and coming up with enough cash to entice the Redstone family to leave a business where they've been major players for decades. Bronfman, the former entertainment executive and liquor scion, pushed his family to acquire Universal Studios Inc. before selling it to France’s Vivendi more than two decades ago.