Studio stake-out

Piece of Viacom’s Paramount in play

Viacom on Tuesday said it will entertain offers for a minority stake in its Paramount Pictures unit — and one Chinese company has already discussed a deal with the embattled media conglomerate, The Post has learned.

Dalian Wanda Group, which owns the US theater chain AMC Entertainment and acquired Legendary Pictures for $3.5 billion in January, is very interested in Paramount, sources said.

Also, Alibaba and China Media Capital are expected to reach out to Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, sources added.

Dauman in the recent past had refused to discuss a sale or even a partial sale of any Viacom asset — but after its stock got hammered over the past year more than the average media company and activist investors called for a change in management, he has had a change of heart.

“He’s so beleaguered, he had to change the dialogue,” one source said, commenting on the move.

PJT Partners has been hired to advise Viacom on the process for Paramount, home to the “Transformers” and “Mission Impossible” film franchises, Viacom said.

Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey, who has run the studio since 2005, has added animation capabili ties and a TV startup, but according to Bernstein analyst Todd Juenger, the 104yearold studio barely breaks even.

Juenger said Viacom should sell Paramount and other assets, and take its core cable assets — MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon — private.

With a 33 percent takeover premium, Paramount could be worth as much as $4 billion, Juenger said.

A source told The Post that, if another studio were to acquire a stake in Paramount, there could be as much as $600 million to $700 million in synergies.

Dauman has been under pressure to boost the company’s sagging share price and will face irate shareholders at the March 14 annual meeting.

Shares of Viacom jumped as much as 5 percent on Tuesday before closing less than 1 percent up, at $37.01.