As a result of the deal, Skydance Founder and Chief Executive Officer David Ellison will now have control over the CBS broadcast network, Paramount Pictures, and the Nickelodeon channels.
With a 2-1 vote, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the deal after receiving assurances from Skydance that they would establish an ombudsman to address any allegations of journalistic partiality or other concerns regarding CBS.
Anna Gomez, the sole dissenting Democrat, accused Paramount of “cowardly submission” to the Trump administration.
Trump and Free Press
The approval by the FCC follows shortly after Paramount settled a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump, paying $16 million (€13.63 million) to resolve it. Critics have accused Trump of using the approval of the merger as leverage in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit primarily stemmed from the election coverage on “60 minutes,” a flagship show of CBS News. Trump accused the show of unfair editing of his opponent Kamala Harris’ interview.
CBS also canceled “The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert” last week following the comedian’s jab at the settlement as “a big fat bribe” to secure approval for the merger.
CBS maintained that the cancellation of the decades-old show, initially hosted by David Letterman, was purely based on financial considerations. However, Trump welcomed the news on social media, praising the dismissal of Colbert.
Questions over Timing
Critics of Trump have harshly criticized the timing of the FCC’s decision.
“The timing speaks for itself,” Senators Edward Markey and Ben Ray Lujan, both Democrats, said in a joint statement. They added that the swift approval following the settlement with Trump “smells” of the worst form of corruption.
On the social media platform X, Senator Elizabeth Warren stated, “CBS was quick to cancel Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after he criticized CBS parent company Paramount’s $16M settlement with Trump—a deal that looks like bribery.”
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
