Recently, Paramount and the Federal Communications Commission, also known as the FCC, have communicated their options in merging Paramount and Skydance Media. According to Deadline, discussions have come and go since summer of 2024, but no moves have been made yet for the merge. The outreach comes as a sign of progress, however, as Shari Redstone, the owner of Paramount Global, now is beginning the past discussion again with David Ellison, the CEO of Skydance Media and Skydance Animation. The merger agreement was extended earlier this month for another 90 days, while approval for a regulatory review pends.

With the FCC having say over broadcasting license transferring, it is possible the delay in the merge could have come from Brendan Carr, who was appointed chairman at the FCC by President Donald Trump, following the company’s abstinence towards DEI efforts. Current investigations from the FCC continue to emerge for company’s such as Disney and NBCUniversal over the use of DEI practices. Via Deadline, Brendan Carr spoke to Bloomberg last month, encouraging businesses to “get busy” if they are looking for the FCC’s approval.

“Any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination.” Carr said via Deadline.

Further, in a letter to Robert Iger, The Guardian reports on how Disney has programmed successes for years, but then became embroiled in DEI practices and ultimately changed their outlook.

“For decades, Disney focused on churning out box office and programming successes,” Carr wrote in the letter. “But then something changed. Disney has now been embroiled in rounds of controversy surrounding its DEI policies. I want to ensure that Disney ends any and all discriminatory initiatives in substance, not just name.” He wrote.

Another setback which has allegedly slowed down the process comes from a lawsuit appointed to the network by President Trump in the amount of $20 billion due to an airing of 60 Minutes, in which the network allegedly edited an interview with Kamala Harris. While many see the lawsuit as ill-considered, a settlement has been discussed to appease the president in hopes of green-lighting the merge. With Redstone anxious about the transaction, the network hopes to settle the lawsuit as soon as possible.

Just this week, following the talks of the pending lawsuit, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens resigned following the alleged corporate interference. Since Donald Trump was appointed President of the United States, the network has produced various pieces about the Trump administration, with the President lashing out at several of them. However, despite the backlash, 60 Minutes has yet another piece planned for Sunday’s episode which will discuss Trump’s recent cuts to NIH, the National Institutes of Health.