U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy Nov. 4 disclosed that she will look into Comcast-owned Sky’s $2.15 billion acquisition of ITV’s Media & Entertainment, which includes its free-to-air channels and the ITVX streaming platform.
In a statement, Nandy, who most-recently conducted an 11th hour investigation of Paramount’s $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, says she is inititating a “Public Interest Intervention Notice” in accords with the Enterprise Act 2002 to determine how the sale would impact “free expression of opinion in news media,” and offer a “sufficient plurality of views” in each market for news media in the U.K.
The Enterprise Act’s goal is to “depoliticize” market regulation by shifting regulatory powers away from government ministers and transferring them to independent, technocratic regulatory bodies.
Nandy’s move automatically triggers further scrutiny into the merger by the Competition and Markets Authority, in addition to a separate report from media regulator Ofcom to address the media public interest considerations.
The CMA evaluates mergers on economic and market conditions, specifically whether a transaction would reduce competition within a U.K. market. Both agencies are slated to issue their reports by Jan. 27, 2027.
At that time Nandy will determine whether the deal warrants further investigation.
“I believe that this consideration should be modified to apply to on-demand programs as well as broadcasting in line with modern viewing habits and my specific concerns regarding this merger,” said Nandy. “I will bring forward legislation which amends section 58 of the Act to extend the application of the public interest consideration relating to the availability of a wide range of broadcasting, to on-demand programming.”
The transaction is slated to consummate in the second half of 2027.
