UK Culture Secretary Intervenes in Sky's Proposed Acquisition of ITV

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has formally intervened in Sky UK Limited's proposed acquisition of ITV Media & Entertainment Holdings Ltd from ITV plc, issuing a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) under the Enterprise Act 2002. The move triggers mandatory investigations by two regulators: the Competition and Markets Authority, which will assess jurisdictional and competition matters, and Ofcom, which will examine media public interest considerations.

Nandy's concerns rest on three grounds set out in section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002: the need for free expression of opinion in news media; a sufficient plurality of views across UK news media markets; and adequate plurality of ownership among media enterprises serving different audiences across the country.

She also introduced an additional public interest ground not currently written into the Act — the need for a wide range of high-quality broadcasting and on-demand programmes to be available throughout the UK. Nandy argued this reflects modern viewing habits and said she will bring forward legislation to amend section 58 of the Act accordingly.

Her department had written to both Sky and ITV on 15 October 2026 to signal her intention to intervene. Both the CMA and Ofcom have been asked to submit their reports by 27 January 2027. After reviewing those findings, Nandy will decide whether to refer the matter for a more detailed CMA investigation. She also confirmed that, on current evidence, she does not consider a Foreign State Intervention Notice to be required.