Sky / ITV merger inquiry
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the anticipated acquisition of ITV M&E Holdings Limited (ITV) by Sky UK Limited.
Statutory timetable
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 5pm on 27 January 2027 | Deadline for CMA and Ofcom to report back to the Secretary of State |
| 4 November 2026 | Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport issued a public interest intervention notice |
| 23 July 2026 to 6 August 2026 | Invitation to comment |
Phase 1
Public interest intervention notice (PIIN)
4 November 2026: an intervention notice has been given pursuant to section 42 of the Enterprise Act 2002 (the Act) in relation to the proposed acquisition of ITV M&E Holdings Limited by Sky UK Limited.
On 15 October 2026, the Secretary of State wrote to Sky UK Limited and ITV M&E Holding Limited to inform them that the Secretary of State was minded to issue a PIIN on the basis that one or more public interest considerations may be relevant to a consideration of the relevant merger situation, as set out in the Act.
Having considered the representations provided in response to her ‘minded to’ letter, the Secretary of State announced on 4 November 2026, her decision to issue a PIIN based on the following public interest considerations under section 58 of the Act:
- the need for free expression of opinion in news media (section 58(2A)(b))
- 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 (section 58(2B))
- 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 each audience (section 58(2C)(a))
The PIIN also identifies the below public interest consideration which is not currently specified in the Act. For this consideration, the Secretary of State will bring forward legislation to amend section 58 of the Act to extend the application of the public interest consideration in section 58(2C)(b) relating to the availability of a wide range of broadcasting to on-demand programmes, as follows:
- the need for the availability throughout the United Kingdom of a wide range of (a) broadcasting and (b) on-demand programmes; which (in each case, taken as a whole) is of high quality and calculated to appeal to a wide variety of tastes and interests
This PIIN triggers the requirement for the CMA to report to the Secretary of State on jurisdictional and competition matters, and for Ofcom to report on the media public interest considerations in section 58 of the Act set out above.
Both the CMA and Ofcom are required to report back to the Secretary of State by 5pm on 27 January 2027.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport – ‘minded to’ letter
20 October 2026: On 15 October 2026, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced she was ‘minded to’ issue a PIIN regarding the proposed acquisition of ITV Media and Entertainment Holdings Limited by Sky UK Limited.
Invitation to comment: closed
23 July 2026: The CMA is issuing this ‘invitation to comment’ to allow interested parties to submit to the CMA any initial views on the impact that the transaction could have on competition in the UK. The CMA has not yet launched its formal investigation into this transaction. This invitation to comment is the first part of the CMA’s information-gathering process.
To assist it with this assessment, the CMA invites comments on the transaction from any interested party.
Pre-notification
The CMA has received the necessary information from the parties to commence pre-notification.
Contact
Please send written representations about any competition issues to:
sky.itvbroadcasting@cma.gov.uk
- Principal Case Officer: Marta Freire, marta.freire@cma.gov.uk, 020 3738 6485
- Case Officer: Shivani Malik, shivani.malik@cma.gov.uk, 020 3954 8481
Privacy notice
Your name and contact details are your personal data. In collecting, receiving, storing, accessing and using your personal data, the CMA, as controller, is processing your personal data. The CMA processes personal data in accordance with data protection law. The CMA is processing your personal data so that it can contact you again, should it need further help or information from you, in order to carry out its merger work under Part 3 of the Enterprise Act 2002. For more information about how the CMA processes personal data and your rights relating to that data, please read our personal information charter.