After an intense, scandal-plagued acquisition, here's what David Ellison gets in Skydance's acquisition of Paramount Global.

Upon closing of Paramount Global and Skydance Media's $8 billion merger, Oracle co-founder and chairman Larry Ellison will hold a minority voting interest of approximately 35.5% in the combined company.

The pledges come as Skydance is seeking to secure FCC approval for the transfer of the CBS broadcast licenses, which is necessary to complete the Paramount Global transaction. The future of CBS News has been a hot topic in media circles, with the 60 Minutes settlement sparking outrage among many in the newsroom there.

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.

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.

McCarthy became co-CEO of Paramount, alongside George Cheeks and Brian Robbins, in April 2024. The trio took on the role after the ouster of Bob Bakish as the company was in its first round of negotiations with Skydance. McCarthy is also president of Showtime/MTV Entertainment and oversees the company’s streaming platforms Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

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Hours after announcing the approval of Skydance’s merger with Paramount, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr touted the company’s commitment to “addressing bias & restoring fact-based reporting” at CBS News, among other things.