Regulators sign off on mega $8 billion Paramount merger with Skydance

The approval seal comes from the Federal Communications Committee after months of turmoil revolving around President Donald Trump’s legal battle with “60 minutes”, which is the crown jewel of the Paraamaont broadcast network. With the Trump administration ghost is likely to block the deal that was equipped with Skydance, Paramount agreed earlier this month to pay a $ 16 million settlement with the president.

The critics of the settlement were lightning with a veiled bribe to satisfy Trump, amid an increasing warning of the independence of liberation in general. More anger also appeared after CBS said that she was canceling Stephen Kolbert’s “late offer” a few days after the comedy actor was sharply criticizing the parent company on the air. Paramount cited financial reasons, but large names inside and outside the company questioned these motives.

In a statement accompanying the approval of the deal, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) praised Brendan Carr for merging as an opportunity to achieve more balance in CBS “once”.

“The Americans no longer trust the old national media to report fully report, accurate and fair. It is time to change,” Car said.

While seeking approval, Skydance Management confirmed that she will carefully see any bias in CBS News and employment Secretary to review any complaints about fairness. On Tuesday’s file, the company’s general advisor confirmed that New Paramount will embody “a variety of views through the political and ideological spectrum” – also indicated that it plans to make a “comprehensive review” of CBS to make “any necessary changes.”

The Federal Communications Committee (FCC) agreed to integrate with a 2-1 vote, and the organizer who opposed it expressed contempt for how all this met.

“After months of cowardly surrender to this administration, Paramount has finally got what she wanted,” Anna Gomez, Commissioner of the Federal Communications Committee, said in a statement. Unfortunately, it is the American public who will pay the price of his actions in the end. ”

Paramount and Skydance said they want to conclude the deal by September, and now it seems that they are on their way to do so by that time, if not sooner.

Over the past year, the merger seemed periodically that it might collapse as the two sides were roaming the conditions. But the two companies recently launched an agreement estimated by the company combined at $ 28 billion, as a consortium led by the Skydance family David Ellson and Redbird Capital agreed to invest $ 8 billion.

It is noteworthy that Al -Husul accompanies the change of the guard, Ellison stressed the need to move to a “technical hybrid” to stay capable of competing in the entertainment scene today. This includes plans to “rebuild” Paramount+ Streaming, among the efforts made wider to expand direct offers of consumers in a world with more entertainment options and shorter interest extensions.

Elison, who is preparing to become the CEO of The Reactuse Paramount, is the son of Larry Ellson, Technology Titan and Oracle’s co -founder. In addition to having a wealth of $ 288 billion, Larry Ellison was described as a friend by Trump.

While Pyramonts sweat the organizational approval of the integration, one of the best known and most famous programs on television turned into a political hot potato when Trump sued CBS for dealing with an “60 -minute” interview with his Democratic Democratic opponent in the presidential elections last year, Kamala Harris. Presidential candidate. Trump accused “60 minutes” of editing the interview in a deceptive way to help Harris win the elections. After initially demanded $ 10 billion in damage, Trump raised the bet to $ 20 billion while confirming that he suffered from “mental pain”.

The case soon became a close test whether a company will support journalists and stand up to Trump. Editing for brevity is common in the TV press, and CBS argued that Trump’s claims had no advantage. But reports about the company’s executives that explore a possible settlement with Trump later accumulated, especially after Car – who was appointed to lead the FCC by Trump – launched an investigation earlier this year.

By the beginning of July, Paramount agreed to pay $ 16 million. The company said that the money will go to the Trump future presidential library and pay its legal fees, but it confirmed that it did not apologize or regret the story.

The settlement sparked a protest between critics who retracted the retreat from the legal battle to increase the chances of closing the jumping deal. American senator Elizabeth Warren, Mass, said that the deal “could be a bribe in the sight of the horizon”-called for a new investigation and rules to restrict donations to presidential libraries.

Fears regarding the independence of editing in CBS have accumulated even in the months before the announcement of the deal-with the supervision of Paramount’s stories “60 minutes” in new ways, as well as journalists in the network express frustration with changes in a prize-winning program that was a weekly essential element for nearly 57 years

In April, the “60-minute” product from Bill Owens “60 minutes”-indicating that “it became clear that I will not be allowed to manage the show as I always manage it.” Another Domino fell in May when the CEO of CBS News Wendy McMahon stepped down, citing disputes with the company “On the Path Forward”, amid Paramount speculation near a settlement with Trump. CBS has since set Tanya Simon as the best product in “60 minutes” – which raised the respected interior in a step that could be seen as a way to calm the nerves leading to the changes that Elison is expected to make from Skydance.