After finally getting approval from the Federal Communications Commission, Skydance Media is just weeks away from completing its $8-billion merger with Paramount Global, leading to sweeping changes for some of the most iconic media brands.

Paramount had said it expected to close the $8.4 billion merger in the first half of 2025. But the first half of the year came and went, and the merger remained under review by the FCC and its chair Brendan Carr, who had been appointed to the role earlier this year by President Trump.

An $8 billion merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global received regulatory approval Thursday from the Federal Communications Commission in a deal that has raised alarm about free speech and government intrusion into the media.