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  Key Takeaways The FCC approved Paramount’s $8 billion sale to Skydance Media by a 2-1 vote, transferring CBS licenses amid political controversy . Paramount paid $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over a  60 Minutes  interview weeks before approval . Skydance agreed to eliminate DEI programs and install a CBS ombudsman to address bias complaints . Critics like FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez called the merger a “cowardly capitulation” threatening press freedom . Stephen Colbert’s show was canceled days after mocking Paramount’s Trump settlement . The FCC’s Landmark Approval Federal regulators greenlit one of Hollywood’s biggest deals yesterday. The FCC voted 2–1 to let Skydance Media buy Paramount Global for $8 billion. That transfer hands CBS’s 28 local TV stations, Paramount Pictures, and networks like Nickelodeon to David Ellison’s Skydance . Chair Brendan Carr emphasized Skydance’s $1.5 billion cash injection would stabilize Paramount’s finances. They’ve been drownin...

Key Takeaways Skydance commits to 2-year CBS News ombudsman role reporting to Paramount’s president to evaluate bias complaints . Paramount eliminated all DEI programs in February 2025, removing diversity hiring goals and its Office of Global Inclusion . FCC Chairman Brendan Carr conditioned merger approval on DEI elimination, calling such programs “invidious discrimination” . $16M Trump lawsuit settlement preceded the FCC deal, with rumors of $20M more in PSA commitments . The Ombudsman Gambit Skydance lawyer Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon put it in writing July 22. An ombudsman will take complaints about CBS News. Report straight to New Paramount’s president. For two years minimum. This person judges “bias or other concerns.” McKinnon cited Comcast’s NBCUniversal deal as precedent. Said the FCC liked this setup before. Called it a “mechanism effective in preventing editorial bias.” Jeff Shell becomes New Paramount’s president. David Ellison sits as CEO. They want this merger done . DEI Dis...