UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has indicated that she is minded to intervene on public-interest grounds in Sky UK’s proposed acquisition of ITV Media and Entertainment Holdings, a deal announced on 6 July 2026 with a value of up to £1.6 billion. The proposed transaction would bring ITV’s television channels and streaming service ITVX under Sky’s ownership, while ITV Studios would remain outside the deal.
Nandy has identified three existing grounds for scrutiny under the UK’s Enterprise Act 2002: freedom of expression in news media, plurality of views in news, and the need for a sufficient number of people controlling media enterprises. Her proposal also introduces a significant additional consideration: whether audiences have access to a wide range of high-quality and varied broadcasting and on-demand programmes.
The proposed extension addresses a gap in legislation originally designed when television viewing was predominantly linear. Nandy argues that the existing framework does not adequately cover the effect of mergers on streaming and on-demand services. If she proceeds with formal intervention on this new ground, the government would bring forward legislation to amend Section 58 of the Act.
The process remains at an early stage
The process remains at an early stage. Sky and ITV were invited to submit written representations by 09:00 on 20 October. If Nandy issues a public-interest intervention notice, Ofcom would assess the public-interest questions, while the Competition and Markets Authority would examine the merger and its potential competition implications. A decision on whether to refer the deal for a more detailed investigation would follow those assessments.
For African broadcasting regulators, the proposal offers a potentially significant reference point as countries review media ownership, competition and public-service broadcasting rules in markets where streaming has become increasingly important. Extending plurality considerations beyond traditional television could influence how regulators assess consolidation involving broadcasters, streaming platforms and companies controlling large content libraries.
The deal also matters commercially because Sky and ITV programming is licensed into international markets, including Africa. Any eventual changes to ownership, commissioning priorities or distribution strategies could affect content acquisition and licensing negotiations, although the transaction’s specific implications for African rights have not been established.
The wider regulatory question is whether media-concentration rules should protect not only the diversity of news ownership but also the range of programming available across linear and on-demand services. The UK process could provide a closely watched example for African policymakers considering how broadcasting legislation should evolve as audiences increasingly move between traditional television and streaming platforms.
