The $8 billion deal's green light comes after CBS reached a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump over his lawsuit against "60 Minutes"

Hours after announcing the approval of Skydance’s merger with Paramount, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr touted the company’s commitment to “addressing bias & restoring fact-based reporting” at CBS News, among other things.

The cable business has cratered. The news division is in turmoil. A.I. is coming for movies. And those are just the obvious challenges.

Shares of Paramount are set to open higher Friday after long-awaited FCC approval for its merger erased a big question mark hovering over the company's future, but amid ongoing uncertainty about its strategic plans under Skydance Media.

Upon the deal’s closing, Skydance and its financial partners are set inject $1.5 billion in cash into Paramount. However, that’s intended to go toward reducing Paramount’s long-term debt ($14.16 billion as of Q1 of 2025) to help stabilize its balance sheet.

CBS parent Paramount needs approval from the FCC for an $8.4-billion merger with Skydance Media. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said after a commission meeting the agency continues to review the deal and praised commitments to end diversity programs.

Skydance separately promised to appoint a CBS News ombudsman to 'promote transparency and increased accountability' at CBS News. Skydance CEO David Ellison also has met with center-right journalist Bari Weiss.