The Federal Communications Commission approved Skydance Entertainment’s merger with Paramount Global on Thursday, clearing the way for the more than $8 billion deal to close and ending a multiyear saga with enough plot twists for a soap opera.

Skydance has emphasized that the commitments are voluntary. Previously, Skydance and Paramount had argued against conditions imposed by the FCC to mandate benchmarks for viewpoint neutrality, saying that they would be “squarely foreclosed by the First Amendment and Supreme Court precedent.”

Chairman Brendan Carr thinks his agency should strive to ensure that news coverage is fair and balanced—a role precluded by the First Amendment.

The $8 billion deal's green light comes after CBS reached a $16 million settlement with Donald Trump over his lawsuit against "60 Minutes"