The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the $8 billion merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global, marking a major consolidation in Hollywood’s entertainment industry. The deal combines the independent studio Skydance, owned by David Ellison, with Paramount’s century-old legacy, which includes CBS, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, and streaming platform Paramount+.
The approval comes on the heels of a politically charged backdrop. Just weeks ago, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over a CBS interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump had alleged the interview was deceptively edited to favor his rival during the 2024 presidential campaign. The settlement, reportedly mediated to avoid disrupting the pending FCC decision, allocates funds to Trump’s future presidential library rather than to him personally.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr, appointed by President Trump, announced the commission’s 2-1 vote in favor of the merger on Thursday. Carr praised Skydance’s commitment to overhaul CBS, emphasizing its promise to promote “unbiased journalism” and to appoint an ombudsman to address bias complaints. Notably, Skydance also pledged to discontinue diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives an agenda strongly supported by the Trump administration.
Carr stated, “Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change.”
However, not all FCC members were in agreement. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez dissented, accusing the FCC of yielding to political pressure. “After months of cowardly capitulation to this administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted. Unfortunately, it is the American public who will ultimately pay the price,” she wrote.
Adding to the controversy, CBS recently announced it would cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a vocal critic of Trump. The network cited financial reasons and denied any political motivation.
While Paramount has not provided a timeline for finalizing the merger, the FCC’s approval of the transfer of 28 CBS broadcast licenses clears a major regulatory hurdle. Skydance has yet to publicly comment on the decision.
