‘The UK Deserves Some Media Independent of US Control’: The US Giant's Move for ITV Concentrates Minds

The prospect of Comcast purchasing ITV has prompted concerns about the consequences on British public service broadcasting, a reality that the broadcaster's new chief executive, who previously held a high-ranking position at Sky, will be all too well aware of.

Sky’s ad sales head, Priya Dogra, will now be looked to to lead the charge to thwart her ex-company's takeover plan to safeguard Channel 4.

The envisaged union of Sky and ITV’s broadcasting operation would leave Channel 4 a significantly weaker competitor in the realm of TV and digital ad sales, fueling talk of the need to reconsider some form of tie-up with the BBC for long-term survival.

Foremost Worry: The Future of News

However, it is the likely impacts on the future of news provision that are causing the most urgent concern for many within the television industry.

The unexpected announcement last month that Comcast, which holds assets including Universal Studios and purchased Rupert Murdoch’s Sky for £30bn in 2018, is a logical business move. Traditional broadcasters are facing a deep-seated viability crisis as audiences and revenues continue to rapidly migrate to global digital players such as Meta, Google, Amazon, and Netflix.

“Comcast’s advance for ITV is causing unease among media watchers, with particular concern for news provision.”

However, the potential £1.6bn takeover of ITV’s broadcasting arm and streaming service, which would end 70 years of independence, is laden with regulatory, political, and competition concerns.

Overnight, Comcast would control Sky News and ITV News—including its far-reaching regional news operation—and become the biggest shareholder in ITN, which produces news for ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5.

While Comcast’s 40% stake in ITN would not be a dominant share—other shareholders include the owner of the Daily Mail, Thomson Reuters, and Informa—it would still be deeply engaged in the news output of most of the main non-BBC broadcasters.

“If a deal is completed, the fate of ITN is an critical one that will focus minds politically,” notes one senior TV executive. “Effectively, they will be involved in the news output of all the biggest non-BBC channels.”

Funding Guarantees and Regulatory Scrutiny

Comcast promised to keep funding Sky News for a decade, raising its funding annually in line with inflation, as part of its 2018 takeover of Sky. As that obligation draws closer to expiring, concerns have been raised about whether the US company will continue to wholly support Sky News, which has an annual budget of £100m but is thought to make losses of as much as £80m.

It is understood that any deal to buy ITV would include assurances not to seek permission from media regulator Ofcom to change the conditions of its public service broadcast licence, which includes duties to national and regional news.

“There are definitely questions about media diversity,” says Stewart Puvis, a former ITN chief executive. “Theoretically, Comcast could, say, merge Sky and ITV News and use its position as a 40% shareholder in ITN to gain influence... I would hope Comcast understand ways of solving these problems.”

Pressure on Public Service

British TV executives have previously warned of the risk posed to the UK’s system of public service broadcasters (PSBs) by large parts of the industry being acquired by US corporations.

Recently, Ofcom published a report warning that public service television, such as news provision and UK-focused content, risks becoming an “at-risk model” as viewers migrate to US online platforms and streamers.

The watchdog also revealed data showing that YouTube had exceeded ITV to become the UK’s second most-watched media service, behind only the BBC, with it and Netflix now the two most popular first TV destinations among young people.

Strategic Imperatives

There are those who believe that a Sky takeover of ITV, against the backdrop of the viewer shift to mostly US digital companies, signals the need for closer cooperation between the UK’s biggest broadcasters.

“The UK must have its own part of mass media which isn’t US controlled,” says a second broadcasting executive. “It’s a vital strategic need. I think the government needs to work out how the boards of the PSBs have a new part to their remits that requires them to collaborate.”

Given that advertisers follow eyeballs, a combination of Sky and ITV could create a British TV and streaming powerhouse, with the two companies’ sales houses controlling a dominant share of total ad spend on traditional TV and broadcasters’ streaming services.

The CMA's Role

Any deal will necessitate an investigation by the UK competition watchdog. Sky is hoping the regulator will broaden the definition of the ad market to include the impact of giants like YouTube and Facebook.

“I think it will get passed,” says Alex DeGroote, a media analyst. “Comcast will do everything it can to say it will maintain the PSB status quo... But you don’t buy to ultimately keep everything the same. ITV plus Sky would give them a hugely dominant position in the TV ad market.”

The Precarious Position of Channel 4 and the BBC

Channel 4, which relies on advertising for the vast majority of its income, now faces a eroded BBC as a potential partner and a formidable commercial threat from a combined Sky-ITV.

“We may at some point end up in that situation because of the deep cumulative cuts to the BBC’s funding and because Channel 4, too, has a core budgetary challenge,” says Patrick Barwise, an emeritus professor at London Business School. “Channel 4 has repeatedly outperformed forecasts, but that is just postponing the problem. It’s now beginning to face a crunch point.”

The evolving situation emphasises a larger conundrum for British media: how to maintain a distinctive voice and a diverse public service ecosystem in an ever more globalised and digitally dominated landscape.