"Morning Joe" co-host Joe Scarborough warned Republicans they will suffer "blowback" for the $8 billion Paramount-Skydance merger

Shares of Paramount are set to open higher after the FCC approval its merger but amid ongoing uncertainty about its strategic plans under Skydance Media.

Upon the deal’s closing, Skydance and its financial partners are set inject $1.5 billion in cash into Paramount. However, that’s intended to go toward reducing Paramount’s long-term debt ($14.16 billion as of Q1 of 2025) to help stabilize its balance sheet.

Skydance got an immediate taste of the public relations headaches that come with the studio’s powerful, Trump-baiting talent.

Plus, Hulk Hogan, the pro wrestler who brought the sport to new heights of mainstream popularity, died at the age of 71.

Skydance Media offered olive branches to the Federal Communications Commission in order to secure approval for its $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global, and those overtures achieved the desired result.

After a long, complicated slog toward Thursday’s FCC approval, Paramount Global and Skydance Media will now face a number of tricky questions in becoming one company. While the $8 billion-plus transaction will need a few more days to become official,

The US FCC has approved the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media. This deal transfers control of CBS, Paramount Pictures and other networks t