Sony Pictures and private equity firm Apollo Global Management have sent a letter to the Paramount Global board expressing interest in acquiring the company for about $26 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The expression of formal interest comes as David Ellison’s Skydance Media, backed by private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR, awaits word from Paramount’s special committee on whether the panel will recommend its bid to acquire the company to controlling shareholder Shari Redstone. Skydance Media hasn’t heard anything from the special committee yet, though it expects to find out the special committee’s recommendations on next moves as early as Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter. Paramount’s panel could recommend approving Skydance’s offer or rejecting it, or it could come back to the Skydance consortium with alternatives or changes. Spokespeople for Paramount, Redstone’s National Amusements, the special committee and Skydance declined to comment. Sony and Apollo did not…
