Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says she may intervene in Sky's £1.6bn deal to buy ITV's channels and ITVX, citing news plurality. Should the takeover go ahead?
Nandy says Sky News and ITV News have a joint 26% share of people watching TV news, and that the BBC plus Sky/ITV would control 86% of the linear TV news market. Sky and ITV, who have until 20 October to respond, say the deal helps them compete with Netflix and other streamers, and that both newsrooms will stay editorially distinct.
What happened
On 15 October Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she is "minded to intervene" in Sky's proposed £1.6bn purchase of ITV's media and entertainment arm, agreed in July. The deal covers ITV's free-to-air channels and ITVX but not ITV Studios. Nandy cited free expression and plurality in news, noting Sky News and ITV News have a joint 26% share of linear TV news viewing. She may also add a new test on on-demand programming, which would need new legislation. Sky and ITV have until 20 October to respond.
Why people disagree
Sky and ITV argue that combining creates a British business with the scale to compete with global streaming platforms, and they have pledged to protect ITV's identity, its free-to-air services and the separate editorial voices of both newsrooms. Nandy's concern is that over time fewer owners could narrow the range of views, especially for viewers in the North, the UK's nations outside England and lower-income households, who rely most on broadcast news.
What's still unclear
Whether Nandy will formally issue an intervention notice, what Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority would conclude, whether Parliament will pass the new on-demand test, and how Sky's pledges to keep the two newsrooms distinct would be enforced.
Sources
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