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Democratic Senator Demands FCC Explain Paramount-Skydance Merger Approval

By  |  August 19, 2025

Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is pressing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for information surrounding its approval of the merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, raising concerns about potential interference from the White House. In a letter to FCC Chair Brendan Carr, Schiff requested detailed explanations regarding the agency’s role in events leading up to the merger, according to a statement.

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    The inquiry centers on a $16 million settlement Paramount paid to former President Trump weeks before the FCC granted its approval. Schiff argued that the timing of the settlement and subsequent agency actions suggest possible political influence, per a statement. He noted that meetings reportedly took place at the FCC in the days following the settlement, adding to questions about whether the independent regulator had been pressured.

    Schiff’s letter also pointed to editorial and programming issues, citing President Trump’s repeated criticism of CBS’s “60 Minutes” and the sudden cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” shortly after the host publicly mocked the settlement. Schiff, who had appeared on Colbert’s program the same night its cancellation was revealed, said the sequence of events heightened his concerns.

    Read more: Paramount Locks $7.7B UFC Deal Days After Skydance Merger

    The FCC’s announcement approving the merger included language conditioning approval on Skydance’s “written commitments to ensure that the new company’s programming embodies a diversity of viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum” while eliminating “invidious forms of DEI discrimination.” Schiff wrote that such language indicated the agency was influencing programming content in a way that aligned with Trump’s criticisms of Paramount before the merger—despite prohibitions against the FCC directing editorial decisions.

    The senator requested that the FCC provide answers no later than August 25.

    Source: Schiff