The Government has decided to refer Granada’s proposed bid for either Carlton Communications or United News & Media to the Competition Commission. The media group joined the bidding war for ITV franchises after Carlton and United announced merger plans last November (see Granada Poised To Bid For Rivals).
As the ITV network moves nearer to consolidation the competition authorities have stepped in to look at the regulatory issues involved. The proposed merger between United and Carlton has already been referred to regulators, which plan to report in May (see Carlton-United Merger Deal Referred To Competition Commission). The main concerns with both this bid proposal and that of Granada are the amount of advertising and television share which one ITV group is allowed to control. Currently no one group is allowed to control more than 25% of advertising revenue or command more than 15% of national television viewing share.
The issues involved in Granada’s bid proposal, which plans to scupper the merger between United and Carlton, will now be subject to the same scrutiny as its rivals.
Competition Commission: 020 7271 0100
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