FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance


What happened
The Federal Communications Commission Thursday approved Skydance's $8 billion acquisition of Paramount, paving the way for "one of the most highly scrutinized media deals in the last decade," said The New York Times.
The decision brings to an end "months of regulatory uncertainty" around President Donald Trump's "scathing criticism" of Paramount's CBS unit, CNN said. CBS News recently paid $16 million to settle what CNN called a "legally dubious" lawsuit over a 2024 episode of "60 Minutes" that Trump said was deceptively edited.
Who said what
Americans "no longer trust the legacy national news media," FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in a statement. Skydance will make "significant changes" at the new company to "root out bias" and include viewpoints "from across the political and ideological spectrum," he added.
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FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, a Democrat, dissented, calling the "never-before-seen controls" on editorial decisions a "direct violation of the First Amendment and the law." Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called for an investigation into the "crooked-looking deal."
What next?
The FCC's green light means Skydance CEO David Ellison can take control of Paramount "in the coming weeks," said CNN. Chris McCarthy, one of Paramount's co-CEOs, will leave the company, Variety said.
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Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.
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