The high-stakes deal that came together this week resulted from months of back-and-forth among a constellation of power players with competing interests, including the president and mogul Shari Redstone.

The breaking point came on a Saturday night in the middle of May. CBS President George Cheeks called news division chief Wendy McMahon with a suggestion: “It’s probably time.”

The New York Post reported on July 2 that Paramount Global agreed, as part of its settlement in the president’s lawsuit against CBS’ 60 Minutes over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris, to run between $15 million and $20 million worth of pro-Trump ads across its networks once it is acquired by David Ellison’s Skydance Media.