U.K. clears Paramount-WBD merger

(KYMA, CNN) - A potential hurdle in Paramount Skydance's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery has been cleared.

The Completion and Markets Authority (CMA), the United Kingdom's antitrust regulator, said it won't intervene.

Britain's Culture Minister Lisa Nandy previously said she was considering doing so, but on Thursday, the Culture Department said it was satisfied with assurances Paramount provided regarding media diversity.

In the assurance letter, it promised CBS News and CNN would retain editorial independence and offered to make the assurance legally binding.

In response to the CMA's decision, Paramount issued a statement saying in part, "Paramount is grateful to the CMA for its constructive engagement and its review of the transaction."

However, in the U.S., the $110 billion deal is on hold due to a legal challenge filed by 12 state attorneys general, including Arizona and California, and the Writers Guild of America.

A trial date has been set for March of next year.