FCC chairman Brendan Carr praised Skydance Media's commitment to hire an ombudsman for CBS News after it completes its merger with Paramount Global.

The FCC approved the transfer of CBS licenses to Skydance's ownership group, paving the way to the merger of Skydance and Paramount.

The Federal Communications Commission has cleared the way for Paramount Global to complete its merger with Skydance Media, announcing Thursday that it has approved the deal. The decision removes a final hurdle for the media and entertainment companies to close their transaction. Paramount is the parent company of CBS.

Josh Greenstein has been tapped to join Paramount following the company’s sale to Skydance. It is unclear what title Greenstein will have, but sources say his role will not be limited to motion pictures.

The Federal Communications Commission has approved the $8 billion merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media, claiming “significant changes,” are coming to the CBS owner.

CBS parent Paramount needs approval from the FCC for an $8.4-billion merger with Skydance Media. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said after a commission meeting the agency continues to review the deal and praised commitments to end diversity programs. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

"I was very pleased to see Skydance put in a filing that says, 'If this deal goes through, they are committing to serious changes at CBS. I think that would be a good thing," Carr told reporters on Thursday during a press conference following the agency's Open Commission meeting.

“The FCC’s approval of the Paramount-Skydance merger reeks of the worst form of corruption,” Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) said in a joint statement. “The stench of this transaction will linger over the Commission for years.”

Former CBS News anchor Connie Chung criticized Paramount Global's merger with Skydance Media for eliminating "unbiased" journalism at her old network.

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.