UK Government Orders Investigation into Sky's £1.6 Billion Acquisition of ITV

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has triggered a formal government investigation into Sky's proposed £1.6 billion acquisition of ITV Media & Entertainment by issuing a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN), directing both the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Ofcom to examine the deal. Sky officially agreed terms for the acquisition in July 2026, with the plan to combine ITV's free-to-air broadcasting and advertising-funded streaming with Sky's broader portfolio of subscription television, broadband, mobile, and business services — giving the combined group greater scale to compete with global streaming platforms and YouTube in the UK. Nandy's notice cited public interest concerns rooted in section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002, covering the free expression of opinion, a sufficient number of views, and adequate plurality of ownership across UK media enterprises. She also flagged additional concerns not yet specified in the act, including the need for a wide range of high-quality broadcasting and on-demand programmes that appeal to diverse tastes, and announced plans to extend the act to cover these. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport warned in letters to Sky and ITV that absorbing the UK's primary commercial public service broadcaster into a subscription-led business could create financial incentives that undermine ITV's ability to sustain its current range of free-to-air and on-demand programming. Nandy had first signalled she was "minded to intervene" in October 2026. The CMA and Ofcom must now report back to the Secretary of State on competition, jurisdiction, and public interest grounds.