Since Warner Bros. properties like HBO Max and CNN offer programming outside the US, regulators in other countries could try to block the merger. Paramount has begun discussions with the European Commission, the firm said.
Paramount accedes to Trump and FCC’s demands
Trump and Carr have repeatedly criticized TV networks, including Paramount property CBS, for alleged bias. Paramount became the federal government’s preferred buyer of Warner Bros. after several instances in which the company acceded to Trump and the FCC’s demands.
Trump sued Paramount because he didn’t like how CBS edited a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris and received a $16 million settlement from the company. Trump described the agreement as “another in a long series of victories over the fake news media.”
The FCC approved Paramount’s $8 billion purchase of Skydance in July 2025, shortly after the Paramount/Trump agreement. To gain approval of the merger, Paramount agreed to establish an ombudsman, which Carr described as a “bias monitor”. Carr now seems happy with Paramount and CBS management, saying that CBS is “doing a great job” under Ellison and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.
Carr also seemed pleased with how CBS met his demand that late-night shows follow the equal time rule, following an incident in which host Stephen Colbert alleged that he was not allowed to air an interview with a Democratic politician. Talk shows have historically been exempt from the rule’s requirements, but CBS said it gave Colbert legal guidance after the Carr-led FCC issued a warning to TV broadcasters about how planned interviews could trigger the equal time rule.
Although it appears that the Trump administration may give the green light to the Paramount/WBD deal, state governments will not be so quick to approve it. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, “Paramount/Warner Bros. is not a done deal. These two Hollywood giants have not cleared the regulatory investigation – the California Department of Justice has an open investigation, and we intend to be vigorous in our review.”
<a href