Nandy minded to intervene in Sky’s £1.6bn ITV entertainment takeover

Nandy considers formal intervention

Nandy has told Sky and ITV she is considering issuing a public interest intervention notice, or PIIN, to the competition watchdog. Such a notice would require an investigation into the proposed deal.

Her letter described Sky News and ITV News as two of the UK’s most prominent television news sources. Together, they have a 26% share of viewers, it said.

Concerns over news diversity

Nandy’s concern is that the tie-up could, over time, weaken the range of views available to audiences. Her letter said the BBC and Sky/ITV account for 86% of the news market. The letter linked that concentration to the fact that broadcast news is the main source of news for those audiences.

Sky and ITV respond

Sky said it would carefully consider Nandy’s letter and engage constructively with the review. The company said it had made commitments to preserve ITV’s identity, free-to-air services and public service broadcasting obligations.

Sky also said ITV News and Sky News would remain distinct editorial voices. It described the deal as a step towards building a UK player able to compete more effectively with global streaming platforms. ITV welcomed Nandy’s letter but said the deal would help it compete with global streaming platforms, benefiting viewers, advertisers and the UK creative industries.

What the deal includes

The proposed £1.6bn purchase covers ITV’s media and entertainment division, but excludes ITV Studios. The production arm makes programmes including Love Island and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here. The article said new legislation would be needed because current laws do not cover the effects of a merger on streaming or on-demand programmes.