The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a supposedly independent government agency but controlled by the Trump administration, authorized the acquisition of Paramount by Skydance Media, in a move that marks a profound transformation in the ownership structure of one of the main television networks in the United States.
PUBLICIDAD
The operation, valued at 8 billion dollars, implies that Skydance will take control of Paramount, a company that controls CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Showtime, and the streaming services Paramount+ and PlutoTV.
PUBLICIDAD
Will CBS change its journalistic approach?
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Donald Trump at the end of January this year, setting aside any attempt to appear impartial, explained that the approval reflects a step towards changes in the company’s journalistic approach, claiming that Americans have lost confidence in traditional media.
In Carr’s words, the acquisition will drive a broader and more balanced ideological coverage. "Skydance has committed in writing to ensure that the new programming reflects a diversity of political and ideological perspectives," the official stated.
In the days leading up to the authorization, Skydance committed to the FCC to refrain from implementing diversity programs and to establish the role of an ombudsman for at least two years, responsible for overseeing programming and reporting directly to the company’s presidency.
This supposed shift in editorial direction comes after the agreement in which Paramount Global will pay Donald Trump 16 million dollars to drop a lawsuit in which he alleged that CBS had manipulated the editing of an interview aired on the program “60 Minutes” with then Vice President and candidate Kamala Harris, accusing the network of electoral interference.
On the CBS late show, Stephen Colbert’s host called the deal a “big, fat bribe”, aimed at appeasing Trump in the face of Paramount’s deal with Skydance. Days later, the network announced the end of Colbert’s show.
Harsh criticisms of the approval
The only Democratic commissioner of the FCC, Anna Gomez, strongly questioned the approval and imposed conditions. In a statement sent by mail, she accused the agency of giving in to political pressures and overstepping its legal powers.
“In an unprecedented action, this previously independent FCC used its vast power to pressure Paramount into negotiating a private legal agreement and further eroding press freedom,” she wrote. According to Gomez, the intervention threatens press freedom and represents an unprecedented intrusion into editorial decisions of newsrooms.
Then she added that “after months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration, Paramount finally got what they wanted”.
A change of direction for the media group
Skydance Media, led by David Ellison, finally executed a years-long strategy: taking control of Paramount through the purchase of its parent company, National Amusements. This company was previously led by Sumner Redstone and is currently chaired by his daughter, Shari Redstone.
Ellison, who is identified as close to Trump’s policies, has stated that one of the main goals will be to redefine the editorial narrative of CBS News, promoting a more impartial approach.