But Nandy has told Sky and ITV that she is considering issuing a nationalist involvement involution announcement (PIIN) to the contention watchdog, forcing it to analyse the tie-up.
In a missive to some companies, she said she was minded to bid the probe truthful the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) could code nationalist involvement considerations including:
The request for escaped look of sentiment successful quality media
The request for a scope of views successful quality media crossed the UK
The request for a scope of radical controlling the media crossed the UK
The request for a wide scope of programmes to beryllium offered crossed the UK
The missive said Nandy recognised Sky News and ITV News were 2 of the astir salient sources of tv quality successful the UK, with a associated 26% stock of viewers.
Consumers would inactive person entree to different sources of quality specified arsenic the BBC and Channel 4, it added.
But Nandy believes that, implicit time, the tie-up could undermine the scope of views disposable to viewers, with 86% of the quality marketplace controlled by the BBC and Sky/ITV.
The North of England could beryllium peculiarly hard deed arsenic good arsenic nations of the UK different than England and those from little socio-economic backgrounds, the missive argued.
This is due to the fact that their main root of quality is broadcast news, it added.
Sky and ITV person been fixed until 20 October to respond to the civilization secretary's concerns.
A Sky spokesperson said: "We person already made wide commitments to support ITV's identity, its free-to-air services and nationalist work broadcasting obligations, and to guarantee ITV News and Sky News stay chiseled editorial voices."
An ITV spokesperson said: "We invited the work of the caput of state's 'minded to' contented a nationalist involvement involution announcement missive arsenic was expected and look guardant to afloat co-operating successful the process.
"This is different important milestone successful the regulatory reappraisal process towards creating a UK subordinate with the standard and resources to amended vie with planetary streaming platforms, benefiting viewers, advertisers and the UK originative industries."
Nandy's involution would beryllium made nether a caller nationalist involvement consideration.
This would request authorities to beryllium brought forward, fixed that existent laws bash not screen the effect of a merger connected streaming oregon on-demand programmes.
She said: "If I determine to intervene connected the ground of this caller nationalist involvement consideration, I volition bring guardant legislation... to widen the exertion of the nationalist involvement information relating to the availability of a wide scope of broadcasting to on-demand programmes."
English (US)·