UK Culture Secretary Issues Public Interest Intervention Notice on Sky's ITV Takeover Lisa Nandy has formally intervened in Sky's £1.6 billion acquisition of ITV's media and entertainment arm on public interest grounds, triggering investigations by the CMA and Ofcom. UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has formally intervened in Sky's proposed takeover of ITV on public interest grounds, issuing a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) on 4 November 2026. The notice relates to concerns that the merger could affect free expression in the media and the variety of Britain's news landscape. In a statement to Parliament, Nandy said her decision was based on public interest considerations specified in section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 that warrant further investigation. The proposed takeover will now be passed to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for competition concerns and to the media regulator Ofcom, which will examine public interest issues.Regulators Investigate Sky ITV Merger DetailsBoth bodies have until 27 January 2027 to report back to Nandy with their findings. She said: Following these reports, I will need to decide whether to refer the matter for a more detailed investigation by the CMA under section 45 of the Act. ITV agreed the sale of its media and entertainment arm to Sky for £1.6 billion in July after months of talks over a possible deal.The deal, which has been in the works since the end of 2025, will see Sky buy ITV's terrestrial TV channels and streaming service ITVX. The acquisition was only for the network and its proprietary streaming platform, resulting in the spinning off of its production arm, ITV Studios. A previous report stated the deal was worth $2.1 billion. Nandy had previously voiced concerns over the deal, saying last month that she was minded to intervene.Nandy Expresses Concerns Over Media ControlShe highlighted concerns over the breadth of news providers and how much control Sky would have in the media. She said: On 15 October 2026 my Department wrote to Sky UK Limited and ITV plc to inform them I was minded to intervene in the anticipated merger between Sky UK Ltd and ITV Media & Entertainment Holdings Ltd under the Enterprise Act 2002 and inviting them to submit representations.Having fully considered their representations, I have decided to issue a Public Interest Intervention Notice. ITV is required by law to provide a free-to-air service until at least 2034 under its public service broadcasting licence. But in the future, Sky could at some stage decommission certain ITV shows or renegotiate their contracts. Sky is likely to want to make some cost savings.New Legislation Proposed for Streaming Services ImpactNandy today confirmed she would bring forward new legislation, given that existing laws do not cover the impact of the merger on streaming or on-demand services. Earlier this year Nandy declined to issue a PIIN in Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, despite a public plea from some quarters.However, the U.S. entities had a much smaller combined television market share in the U.K. than Sky and ITV, which are among the biggest broadcasters in the territory with a combined television advertising share of around 70%. One industry figure said: The reality of how the market operates is nothing to do with that, pointing out the fragmentation of video advertising now across digital platforms such as YouTube, Meta and TikTok.Market Share Concerns and Future News CommitmentsWhen those are taken into account, Sky and ITV's joint share drops to around 20 to 30%. There is also concern about the possibility of Sky combining its newsroom operations with ITV's after the latter's PSB licence comes up for renewal at the end of 2034. A spokesperson said Sky has made a very public commitment to maintain Sky News and to maintain ITN news.However she refused to comment on whether that commitment will extend past 2034. The CMA will scrutinize the deal from a jurisdictional and competition perspective, while Ofcom will examine public interest. Both bodies have a deadline of 27 January to report back, after which Nandy will decide whether to instruct the CMA to carry out a more detailed investigation.