Channel 5

Sky (Comcast) Announces Acquisition of ITV

Sky, the Comcast-owned broadcaster, has officially announced the acquisition of ITV Media & Entertainment in the UK in a deal valuing ITV M&E at up to £1.6 billion (≈€1.87bn). Sky will pay £1.2bn in cash and a £0.2bn earn‑out tied to business performance; the remaining valuation gap will be closed by selling Love Productions (majority‑owned by Sky) to ITV Studios. Sky also pledged a £2.1bn, five‑year production deal with ITV Studios upon closing. Sky says the merger will make it the leading free‑to‑air provider in the UK and strengthen its streaming business; the combined entity would hold roughly 20% of domestic TV usage and Sky and ITV together account for over 70% of UK TV advertising. The announcement highlights potential UK competition scrutiny and includes commitments to preserve editorial independence and ITV’s public‑service obligations until 2034.

UK May Intervene in Paramount‑Warner Bros. Discovery Merger

The UK government has signalled it may formally intervene in Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, citing media plurality and service‑availability concerns. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on June 30 she is minded to issue a public interest intervention notice. The US Department of Justice has already cleared the deal as pro‑competitive, while the European Commission is expected to rule by early July. The Competition and Markets Authority has opened a merger inquiry and will decide by early August whether to move to a Phase 2 investigation; companies have until July 6 to submit representations. If intervention is issued, Ofcom would assess public interest considerations alongside the CMA’s competition review. The transaction is targeted to close in Q3 2026 but UK intervention could delay or impose remedies affecting structure, timeline, or assets.

Rakuten TV Joins Barb Measurement

Rakuten TV Enterprise, the B2B arm of Rakuten TV (part of Rakuten Group), has signed up to be independently measured by Barb (Barb Audiences), the UK joint-industry audience measurement body. Effective immediately, Barb’s hybrid methodology will cover Rakuten’s UK ad-supported VOD inventory and FAST channels, allowing advertisers to compare its reach against broadcasters and major streamers using a recognised Joint Industry Currency. Initial Barb measurement (W2–5 2026) shows Rakuten TV reached roughly 2 million UK individuals and delivered meaningful incremental audiences: 54.6% of its viewers did not appear on other Barb-measured FAST platforms, and 11% did not watch major public-service broadcasters in the same period (rising to 27% of 16–24s). Rakuten TV said the move improves transparency and advertiser confidence in FAST/CTV buying; Stuart Keith (VP Global Ad Strategy & Partnerships) framed the signing as aligning measurement language across the industry.