UK Orders Review of Sky’s Proposed £1.6 Billion ITV Takeover
Britain has ordered a public-interest review of Sky’s proposed £1.6 billion takeover of ITV, putting the deal under scrutiny over who controls major news out...
Britain has ordered a public-interest review of Sky’s proposed £1.6 billion takeover of ITV, putting the deal under scrutiny over who controls major news outlets and how much choice audiences retain. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has asked Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority to assess the transaction.
The proposed acquisition would bring ITV’s television channels and streaming service, ITVX, under Sky, which is owned by US telecommunications group Comcast. The review adds a regulatory hurdle before the deal can proceed.
Plurality and competition under scrutiny
Ofcom will examine the transaction’s effect on freedom of expression and the range of views represented in UK news. The CMA will assess its impact on competition in the British broadcasting market, including concerns about concentrated media ownership and the diversity of programming available to audiences.
Nandy issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice under the Enterprise Act 2002 after considering representations from both companies. She also pointed to ongoing political and regulatory scrutiny facing Comcast and its subsidiary NBCUniversal in the United States. That scrutiny includes a Federal Communications Commission investigation into agreements with local stations; the FCC is led by Brendan Carr, an ally of President Donald Trump.
The concern is not only that a major British broadcaster would pass into foreign ownership. The review will also test whether the change could affect editorial independence and the provision of news in the UK.
Regulators’ findings will shape next steps
The CMA and Ofcom must submit their reports by Jan. 27, 2027. Nandy could then refer the proposal to the CMA for a more detailed investigation, depending on the findings. The review does not itself determine whether the acquisition will be approved.
The government has also signalled that it wants public-interest rules to cover streaming and on-demand programming, alongside traditional broadcasting. That would reflect the role services such as ITVX now play in how audiences watch programmes.
For viewers, the central question is whether combining ITV’s channels and streaming platform with Sky would narrow the range of voices and content available. The regulators’ reports are due by Jan. 27, 2027.
