Sky’s proposed purchase of ITV’s broadcasting business will face a public-interest review after UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy issued an intervention notice, Variety reported. The process brings both the Competition and Markets Authority and Ofcom into the examination of the transaction.
Competition and public-service questions
The CMA will assess jurisdiction and competition, while Ofcom will examine public-interest considerations. Their reports are due by January 27. Nandy will then decide whether to direct the CMA to conduct a more detailed investigation.
The culture department first notified Sky UK and ITV of its intention to intervene on October 15, 2026, and invited representations. Nandy said she issued the notice after considering those submissions. She did not consider a foreign-state intervention notice necessary.
Comcast-owned Sky announced the approximately $2.1 billion deal earlier in the year. It covers ITV’s television network and ITVX streaming platform, with production division ITV Studios being separated.
Different measures of advertising reach
Variety puts the broadcasters’ combined share of UK television advertising at around 70%. Former ITV chairman Peter Bazalgette offered a broader comparison, estimating 20–30% when video advertising across YouTube, Meta and TikTok is included. Those estimates use different market definitions.
Newsroom arrangements are another point of scrutiny, particularly beyond the renewal of ITV’s public-service licence at the end of 2034. Sky content chief Cecile Frot-Coutaz reiterated commitments to Sky News and ITN news at a September conference but declined to discuss the period after 2034.
A Sky representative told Variety that the company would engage with the review. Sky argues that the combination would strengthen British media and points to commitments covering ITV’s identity, public-service duties and distinct editorial voices. The regulators’ reports will inform the next procedural decision.