Now that the FCC has put its stamp of approval on the merger deal between Paramount Global and Skydance Media, it’s time to reflect on the lengthy process it took to get to the finish line—and how it has affected the kids media landscape.

December 7, 2023: Skydance chief David Ellison is first reported to be seeking a deal to take over Paramount Global after media mogul Shari Redstone had been considering a sale of her controlling stake in parent company National Amusements. 

December 20, 2023: Just as many are winding down to start their holiday breaks, news emerges that CEOs Bob Bakish (Paramount Global) and David Zaslav (Warner Bros. Discovery) had a lunch meeting on December 19 to discuss a possible merger between their two companies, putting WBD on a growing list of parties interested in a deal with Paramount. 

January 10, 2024: With backing from Ellison’s father Larry Ellison, Skydance reportedly begins taking steps toward an all-cash bid for National Amusements, while things have gone fairly quiet on the WBD front.

February 15, 2024: Kidscreen breaks the news that Paramount has shut down Nickelodeon’s popular subscription-based Noggin app and laid off its entire team.

Last year, Paramount phased out the Noggin app, which offered Nickelodeon titles, licensed content and games.

February 27, 2024: At this stage, Zaslav’s company is no longer pursuing a merger deal with Paramount Global, while Skydance is still “performing due diligence on a potential transaction,” two anonymous sources tell CNBC.

February 29, 2024: Paramount reports US$29.7 billion in annual revenue for the last year, a 2% decline from the US$30.1 billion revenue recorded in 2022.

March 14, 2024: Mumbai’s Reliance Industries acquires Paramount’s 13% stake in Viacom18—which operates the Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels in India, among others—for roughly US$517 million.

April 1, 2024: Paramount+ axes 10 kids shows from its library, including Blue’s Clues & You!, Santiago of the Seas, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and That Girl Lay Lay.

April 2, 2024: Negotiations seem to be going well between Skydance and Paramount, inching them closer toward exclusive talks for a potential sale—which would mark a major sign of progress for the deal that’s been the subject of near-constant rumors in the preceding few months. 

April 18, 2024: In a possible team-up effort, Apollo Global Management and Sony Pictures are reportedly planning a joint bid for Paramount.

April 30, 2024: Bakish is out at Paramount, which sets up Brian Robbins (CEO of Paramount Pictures), Chris McCarthy (CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios) and George Cheeks (CEO of CBS) to jointly lead the company. 

June 3, 2024: Paramount and Skydance settle on the terms of an US$8-billion merger deal, with an official announcement seemingly on the horizon.

June 11, 2024: Spoke too soon! Redstone abruptly halts talks with Skydance, rejecting the deal in a surprise last-minute turn. The two were not able to reach “mutually acceptable terms,” according to National Amusements.

June 11, 2024: Over in the UK at around the same time, a number of Paramount International kids & family execs are laid off—including Chris Rose (VP of production & development), Adam Bailey (director of animation) and Jordan Elson (manager of production and development).

July 2, 2024: Weeks after the apparent failure of the deal, Skydance renegotiated the terms and reached a new preliminary deal that’s under review by a Paramount special committee.

July 8, 2024: Skydance officially enters a definitive merger agreement with Paramount for a two-step transaction, with David Ellison set to become CEO and chairman of “New Paramount” and former NBCU chief Jeff Shell lined up as president.

August 9, 2024: Paramount Global announces a 15% US workforce reduction (affecting almost 2,000 employees) as part of its efforts to achieve US$500 million in cost savings. This comes amid a second-quarter loss of US$5.3 billion, with a US$5.98-billion write-down in the value of its cable networks.

August 19, 2024: Days before the 45-day “go shop” period is set to end, US businessman and media investor Edgar Bronfman Jr. enters the bidding race with a US$4.3-billion offer to acquire National Amusements. The special committee takes some extra time to evaluate this last-minute bid.

August 27, 2024: Bronfman exits the race, withdrawing his increased US$6-billion final-hour bid and clearing the way for Skydance.

September 5, 2024: A new filing suggests that David Ellison’s father will own a rather influential 77.5% of National Amusements. This is amended in the following month.

October 16, 2024: The long battle between Paramount’s CBS and Donald Trump begins over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Trump’s rival, presidential candidate Kamala Harris. 

January 31, 2025: CBS News agrees to comply with an FCC letter of inquiry to provide an unedited transcript of the 60 Minutes interview with Harris.

February 27, 2025: As the proposed Skydance-Paramount Global merger awaits regulatory approval, Republican FCC chairman Brendan Carr suggests that not a lot of progress has been made on this front—even as both companies say they’re expecting the deal to close in the summer.

March 6, 2025: A Delaware judge declines to issue a temporary restraining order filed by a group of New York City pension funds to halt the merger.

April 7, 2025: The closing deadline for the merger deal between Paramount and Skydance triggers the first 90-day extension as regulatory approval has still not come through.

July 2, 2025: Paramount Global settles the lawsuit with Trump against CBS News, which many believe cleared the road for the long-delayed merger.

July 8, 2025: Things are still moving slowly, with no sign of an approval from the FCC yet—pushing an automatic second 90-day extension on the merger.

July 23, 2025: In filings to the FCC, Skydance pledges to eliminate DEI programs and hire an ombudsman to review “complaints of bias” at CBS News.

July 25, 2025: The FCC approves the merger.