Trump Praises $8.4 Billion Paramount-WBD Merger as Skydance Corp. Debuts
Updated
Updated · Variety · Oct 6
Trump Praises $8.4 Billion Paramount-WBD Merger as Skydance Corp. Debuts
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Oct 6
Summary
Skydance Corp. officially launched Tuesday after Paramount’s merger with Warner Bros. Discovery closed, prompting Trump to call it “a great merger” and say he was glad regulators “let it go.”
June approval from Trump’s Justice Department came without conditions, and the final obstacle fell after Paramount settled an antitrust suit from 12 Democratic state attorneys general; a judge approved that deal on Sept. 30.
David Ellison moved quickly to calm newsroom fears, telling employees that CNN and CBS News are “a vital part of our democracy” and backing CNN’s lawsuit over the White House ban on several outlets.
The settlement subjects CNN and CBS News to a state-monitored editorial independence board, though critics called it weak, while one Connecticut attorney general said he had pushed for a full divestiture of both news units.
The closing still leaves political scrutiny around the deal, including a July shareholder lawsuit alleging the Ellisons struck an improper arrangement with Trump—claims Paramount has denied.