UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced on Thursday, October 15, 2026, that she is considering an intervention in the £1.6 billion acquisition of ITV’s media and entertainment arm by Sky. The Secretary stated she may introduce legislation to expand government oversight of on-demand services as part of the review process.
The move follows the announcement of the merger between Sky and the entertainment division of ITV. Under current law, the government can intervene in media mergers based on specific public interest grounds. Nandy indicated she is evaluating whether the deal requires a new public interest consideration to ensure a wide variety of programming remains available to viewers on digital platforms.
In her statement, Nandy identified three primary areas of concern: the impact on the free expression of opinion in news media, the plurality of views across news outlets, and the requirement for a sufficient number of different individuals to maintain control within the media sector. She noted that her decision to intervene would be based on "reasonable grounds to believe" that the merger might affect the availability of high-quality and varied programming on UK on-demand platforms.
The proposed legislation would represent a shift in how the UK government regulates digital media. By seeking to amend Section 58 of the Enterprise Act, Nandy aims to extend public interest protections—which currently apply to traditional broadcasting—to include on-demand programmes. This sets a precedent for how future mergers between traditional broadcasters and digital platforms will be scrutinized. The cost of this regulatory shift to the companies or the taxpayer was not disclosed in the announcement.
The next step in the process involves a formal decision by the Culture Secretary on whether to proceed with the intervention. If Nandy chooses to move forward, she will be required to bring legislation before Parliament to amend the Act. The source did not provide specific dates for these legislative filings or a deadline for the final ruling on the Sky-ITV merger. Until then, the acquisition remains subject to government review.