ITV Expects 12-18 Month Review of Sky's $2.13 Billion Takeover as Antitrust Scrutiny Deepens
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 6
ITV Expects 12-18 Month Review of Sky's $2.13 Billion Takeover as Antitrust Scrutiny Deepens
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jul 6
Summary
ITV said U.K. approval of Sky’s $2.13 billion purchase of its networks and streaming business will likely face a phase-2 antitrust probe lasting 12 to 18 months.
Carolyn McCall argued the market has changed fundamentally, saying Sky and ITV would hold about 20% of U.K. video advertising—less than YouTube alone—as they compete with Meta, Amazon, Apple and Disney.
To bolster the case, ITV pledged its public-service obligations would continue after the merger, including free flagship programming, at least 25% of output from independents and 85% of primetime shows remaining originals.
ITV also pointed to a £2.1 billion content-supply commitment from 2028 to 2032, while saying job cuts would mainly hit overlapping functions and that ITV Studios will be spun off rather than sold.
The deal revives long-running U.K. media plurality concerns: regulators blocked BSkyB’s 2006 ITV move and the 2007 Project Kangaroo venture, while Comcast’s U.S. ownership could again become a political flashpoint.
Is the Sky-ITV deal a necessary defense for British media, or the surrender of its top assets to a US giant?
When YouTube has more UK viewers, can regulators still block a domestic media merger on traditional competition grounds?
Beyond 2034, what prevents today's free British TV icons from becoming tomorrow's pay-per-view content?
How Sky’s £1.6 Billion ITV Deal Will Reshape UK Media: Competition, Content, and Public Service Commitments
Overview
Sky’s £1.6 billion acquisition of ITV’s Media & Entertainment division marks a major shift in UK broadcasting. After intense scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority due to concerns about media ownership concentration, the deal was approved. The merger aims to create a powerful UK-based streaming competitor to global giants like YouTube, with the combined entity expected to account for around 20% of all in-home viewing—second only to the BBC. ITV pursued this deal to gain the scale needed to compete internationally, while Sky’s commitment to public service broadcasting helped reassure regulators and secure approval.