<body><p>STORY: The U.S. Justice Department's (DOJ) Antitrust Division said it has cleared Paramount Skydance Corp's planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.</p><p>It said the $110 billion transaction was unlikely to harm competition or consumers,</p><p>saying its impact "will be to increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers."</p><p>Paramount thanked the DOJ for its review of the transaction.</p><p>It said the deal would allow the company to better compete in an industry defined by an intense scramble for audiences, talent, technology and investment.</p><p>Paramount CEO David Ellison's father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, has cultivated ties with President Donald Trump.</p><p>Assistant Attorney General Omeed Assefi had said that politics would "absolutely not" drive the DOJ's review of the transaction.</p><p>The Federal Communications Commission has yet to approve Paramount's petition for foreign investors to own up to 100% of the deal's debt.</p><p>Several in Hollywood have expressed concern that the merger would result in fewer jobs and less diversity of storytelling.</p><p>Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last week that California, New York and other U.S. states are preparing a lawsuit to block the deal.</p></body>
