Mandalit del Barco

Paramount Skydance holds broadcast licenses for CBS and needs the FCC to sign off on its merger with Warner Bros.

Discovery, which owns CNN and HBO.

David Ellison's company recently filed papers asking the FCC to permit foreign investors to hold more than 25% of its equity and voting interests.

According to those documents, the investors include the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

But FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez says there are serious unresolved questions about those investments that she says could jeopardize national security.

Gomez is calling on the FCC to conduct a full and independent review before approving transactions with foreign governments, which she says have, quote, a troubling willingness to silence journalists.

Mandalit Del Barco, NPR News.

If U.S.

and international regulators approved the merger, David Ellison would get the legendary century-old movie studio, its streaming services and cable channels such as CNN and HBO.

Ellison has repeatedly promised the combined Warner Bros.

and Paramount merger would release 30 films a year.

While shareholders approved the deal, they rejected a generous compensation proposal for Warner Bros.

executives.

But that vote is non-binding, meaning the board could still give current Warner Bros.

CEO David Zasloff a golden parachute, nearly $887 million.

This morning in New York, filmmakers protested the mega deal, saying the consolidation will lead to layoffs, less competition, and more media concentration by the Ellison family, which is friendly with President Trump.

Mandalit Del Barco, NPR News.

If U.S.

and international regulators approved the merger, David Ellison would get the legendary century-old movie studio, its streaming services and cable channels such as CNN and HBO.

Ellison has repeatedly promised the combined Warner Brothers and Paramount merger would release 30 films a year.