Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has tasked regulators with scrutinising Sky's £1.6 billion deal to buy ITV's media and entertainment arm after stepping in over public interest concerns.
Ms Nandy announced her decision to issue a so-called Public Interest Intervention Notice, which paves the way for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and regulator Ofcom to probe the takeover and report back to her on the impact of the deal on media plurality in the UK and free speech by January 27.
She said she will also bring forward new streaming legislation in view of her "specific concerns" over the tie-up.
