But Nandy has told Sky and ITV that she is considering issuing a public interest intervention notice (PIIN) to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and regulator Ofcom, forcing an investigation into the tie-up. <\/p>\n
In a letter to both companies, she said she was minded to order the probe to address public interest considerations including:<\/p>\n
The need for free expression of opinion in news media<\/p>\n
The need for a range of views in news media across the UK<\/p>\n
The need for a range of people controlling the media across the UK<\/p>\n
The need for a wide range of programmes to be offered across the UK<\/p>\n
The letter said Nandy recognised Sky News and ITV News were two of the most prominent sources of television news in the UK, with a joint 26% share of those viewing news on linear TV.<\/p>\n
Consumers would still have access to other sources of news such as the BBC and Channel 4, it added.<\/p>\n
But Nandy believes that, over time, the tie-up could undermine the range of views available to viewers, with 86% of the linear TV news market controlled by the BBC and Sky\/ITV.<\/p>\n
The North of England could be particularly hard hit as well as nations of the UK other than England and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, the letter argued.<\/p>\n
This is because their main source of news is broadcast news, it added.<\/p>\n
Sky and ITV have been given until 20 October to respond to the culture secretary’s concerns. <\/p>\n