ITV hands shareholders £100m returns after £1.6bn Sky deal Media ITV has announced a £100m share buyback as part of its commitment to return £950m to investors following its blockbuster £1.6bn Sky deal. The broadcaster said the “milestone” merger will “unlock significant value for shareholders,” as it posted a two per cent jump in revenue across the last six months. Earlier this month, ITV agreed [...]
Sky and ITV mount defence of £1.6bn merger as regulators probe deal Media Sky and ITV will argue their proposed £1.6bn merger controls only around a fifth of Britain’s advertising market as they seek to convince competition regulators to approve one of the biggest media deals in decades, Morning Wire understands. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday invited comments on Sky’s planned acquisition of ITV’s Media [...]
ITV says ‘no guarantees’ on jobs after £1.6bn Sky deal Media ITV and Sky executives have said they can make no guarantees on job cuts after the two companies announced a £1.6bn merger on Monday. Employees of ITV have been warned the tie-up between Britain’s two biggest commercial broadcasters could lead to redundancies, and there are “no guarantees” over their jobs. Speaking after the acquisition was [...]
Apple claims CMA app store shake-up could ‘open the door to scams’ June 30, 2026 Apple has claimed that proposed UK competition reforms to its App Store risk “opening the door to scams”, as the CMA prepares to push ahead with plans to loosen the grip Apple and Google hold over in-app payments. The watchdog on Tuesday launched a consultation on new conduct requirements under Britain’s Digital Markets, Competition and [...]
Ryanair blasts ‘misguided’ watchdog over family seating probe June 25, 2026 Ryanair has slammed the “misguided” competition regulator over a probe into its family seating rules, claiming the watchdog has turned a “blind eye” to more serious issues. Michael O’Leary, the boss of the budget airline, claimed that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has forced it to “reluctantly” make a rule change which will make [...]
CMA urged to curb Big Tech app fees pushing up prices for users May 27, 2026 Apple and Google are facing mounting pressure from Britain’s competition watchdog over app store rules that developers say are driving up prices for consumers and making it harder for UK tech firms to compete. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to decide within weeks whether to crack down on so-called “anti-steering” rules, which [...]
CMA launches investigation into Microsoft amid cloud contract crackdown March 31, 2026 The UK’s competition watchdog has launched a new probe into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem, as part of a wider push to loosen the grip of Big Tech on cloud, and boost competition for British firms. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will open a strategic market status investigation in Microsoft’s suite, including Windows, [...]
CMA pushes back on Google’s AI overviews January 28, 2026 The UK’s competition regulator has fired an early warning shot at Google’s AI-powered search, in a move that suggests the era of unfettered scraping and summarising may be coming to an end. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday set out proposed rules that would force Google to loosen its control over how search works in the UK. [...]
F1 fans left furious after Viagogo ticket failure December 15, 2025 Dozens of Formula 1 fans who spent enormous sums, including one couple who spent £16,173, have been left furious after Viagogo tickets failed to deliver promised entry to the Abu Dhabi post-race concerts, Morning Wire understands. The concerts – headlined by Benson Boone, Metallica, Post Malone and Katy Perry – were explicitly advertised on the [...]
Ticket touts face UK crackdown after Oasis outrage November 18, 2025 UK ministers are set to outlaw the resale of tickets for live events at prices above their original face value, in a move aimed at tackling professional touts and secondary ticket platforms like Viagogo and StubHub. The crackdown, due to be announced this week, represents the most aggressive intervention yet in a market long criticised [...]