The proposed acquisition by Sky of ITV Media and Entertainment for £1.6 billion faces scrutiny by Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary. She has said she is minded to intervene in the anticipated merger. Subject to assessments from the communications regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority, she would need to decide whether to refer this for a more detailed investigation by the CMA.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has written to the legal representatives of Sky and ITV to inform them that the secretary of state is minded to intervene.
Such intervention would be under the Enterprise Act 2002 under public interest considerations.
The public interest grounds cited are the need for free expression of opinion in news media, for a sufficient plurality of views in news media, and for a sufficient plurality of persons with control.
The culture secretary says she is also minded to intervene on public interest grounds that are not specified in the current legislation to account for the availability of high-quality and varied programming on demand.
In the event that she decides to intervene, she says she would bring forward legislation to extend the application of the public interest consideration to on-demand programmes.
Letters have been sent to the lawyers acting for Sky and ITV regarding the proposed acquisition.
They note that the independence of Sky News is protected under agreements given by Comcast when it acquired Sky in 2018 but these are due to expire at the end of 2028.
Sky and ITV currently operate separate news services. Under the proposed acquisition, Sky would acquire a 20% shareholding in ITN, which provides national news programming for ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.
Sky had a 44% share of all live sports broadcasting in the United Kingdom in 2025, which ITV had 16%, with the BBC at 26%. A combined Sky and ITV would have 60% of all live sports viewing.
The letters also express concern about the potential impact on STV, which holds the channel 3 licence for Scotland and buys programming from ITV.
There is also concern about Sky taking a 25% stake in Everyone TV, which is currently owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, and manages the main free-to-air television platforms on their behalf.
The possibility is suggested that Sky and ITV may have incentives to streamline and consolidate their on-demand programme services and that freely available ITVX programming may diminish or be charged for in the future.
The letters to lawyers for Sky and ITV give them a matter of days to respond.
The government has previously accepted legally binding undertakings concerning editorial independence and investment in programming in connection with the Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery.
In 2018, concerns about media plurality in the proposed acquisition of Sky by 21st Century Fox led the Competition and Markets Authority to recommend the divestment of Sky News.
The proposed Sky acquisition of ITV could similarly proceed subject to further undertakings, although a formal investigation could result in more substantial remedies or potentially prohibition.