I am repeating the following Written Ministerial Statement made today in the other place by my Right Honourable Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy MP.

On 6 July 2026 Sky UK Limited announced it had agreed terms to acquire ITV Media and Entertainment Holdings Ltd for a total consideration of up to £1.6 billion.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002 (“the Act”), I may intervene if I have reasonable grounds to suspect that arrangements are in contemplation which, if carried into effect, will result in the creation of a relevant merger situation; and, I believe that one or more public interest considerations under the Act may be relevant to a consideration of the merger.

Following engagement with the parties and independent research, my Department has today written to the legal representatives of Sky and ITV on my behalf to inform them that I am minded to intervene on the following public interest grounds which are currently specified in the Act:

The need for free expression of opinion in news media.

The need for, to the extent that it is reasonable and practicable, 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.

The need, in relation to every different audience in the United Kingdom, or in a particular area or locality of the United Kingdom, for there to be a sufficient plurality of persons with control of the media enterprises, serving that audience.

Under section 42 of the Act, I may specify new or amended public interest considerations in an intervention notice for Ofcom to consider in relation to the merger. I have informed the parties that I am also minded to intervene on the following public interest ground which is not currently specified in the Act, but which I believe should be:

The need for the availability throughout the United Kingdom of a wide range of broadcasting, on-demand programmes or both, which (when either is, or as the case may be, both are, taken as a whole), is of high quality and calculated to appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests.

The legislation already specifies a public interest consideration on the need for the availability, throughout the UK, of a wide range of broadcasting which is both of high quality and calculated to appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests. This was drafted at a time where viewing was largely via broadcast linear channels; it does not currently cover the effect of a merger on streaming or on-demand programmes. Having considered the anticipated merger, I am of the view that there are reasonable grounds to believe that it might affect availability of a wide range of high-quality and varied programming on the on-demand platforms that are now widely used by UK audiences.

Consequently, if I decide to intervene on the basis of this new public interest consideration, I will bring forward legislation which amends section 58 of the Act to extend the application of the public interest consideration relating to the availability of a wide range of broadcasting to on-demand programmes.

The letters to the parties, and other relevant updates, will be published on GOV.UK.

It is important to note that I have not taken a final decision on intervention at this stage. The ‘minded to’ letter invites further representations in writing from the parties and gives them until 09:00 20 October to respond.

If I decide to issue an Intervention Notice, the next stage would be for Ofcom to assess and report to me on the public interest considerations, and for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to assess and report to me on whether a relevant merger situation has been created, and any impact this may have on competition.

Following these reports, I would need to decide whether to refer the matter for a more detailed investigation by the CMA under section 45 of the Act.

I will update Parliament on my final decision at the earliest opportunity.

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2026-10-15.hlws393.0