Following last month’s announcement that she was “minded” to intervene in Sky’s planned acquisition of ITV, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has now issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN).
The PIIN gives both Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) the green light to investigate the deal. Ofcom will investigate whether the deal is in the public interest, and the CMA will review it from a competition perspective.
“Having fully considered their representations, I have decided to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice,” Nandy told Parliament.
The PIIN asks Ofcom and CMA to consider the “need for free expression of opinion in news media,” the goal of “a sufficient plurality of views in news media in each market for news media in the United Kingdom or a part of the United Kingdom,” and “the need for the availability throughout the United Kingdom of a wide range of broadcasting and on-demand programmes.”
They have been tasked with reporting back their findings by 5pm on 27th January 2027.
Sky, owned by Comcast, agreed to acquire ITV’s linear and streaming channels in July.
