Starmer offers BBC rivals chance to join forces
Sir Keir Starmer has opened the door to mergers between the BBC's commercial rivals as they come under mounting pressure from streaming.
The Government on Monday set out plans to remove barriers to allow broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 to join forces as part of its new Industrial Strategy.
Ministers said they would examine 'possible consolidation between broadcasters which may benefit their financial sustainability and audiences', as well as 'closer strategic partnerships'.
The Competition and Markets Authority and Ofcom will be asked to review their definitions of the TV and advertising markets to include, for instance, YouTube and Netflix.
Such moves would reduce the market share of broadcasters, making it much more likely that regulators could approve a merger of their advertising sales operations, or even an ITV takeover of Channel 5 and Channel 4.
'Economies of scale'
Investors and television industry leaders are increasingly arguing for such consolidation to cut costs as audiences and advertisers migrate to streamers.
Less radical steps are already being taken in that direction. ITV, Channel 4 and Sky last week struck a deal to pool their online advertising spots to mount a stronger challenge to the massive scale of YouTube.
The three broadcasters currently each operate their own television advertising sales house. Bringing them together would be an obvious next step, but would require regulators to agree that streaming competition means it would not be too powerful a monopoly.
The Government pointed to broadcasters in other countries pursuing mergers to 'increase economies of scale'.
It added: 'We must take active steps to ensure our domestic broadcasters can adapt to this changing market, and continue their support for independent producers of all sizes so that IP [intellectual property] remains in the UK.
'The financial sustainability of our PSBs [public service broadcasters] is under pressure as they compete for content and advertising revenues with global media and technology companies.'
TV troubles
It comes as ITV is locked in discussions over a deal that could result in either a sale of the broadcaster or a deal to spin off its lucrative production business.
Banijay, the French production powerhouse behind Big Brother and Peaky Blinders, has reportedly held discussions with ITV over a potential bid. All3Media, the UAE-owned group behind shows including The Traitors and Race Across the World, has also been linked to a possible deal.
ITV, which has struggled with an advertising downturn in recent years, has been viewed as ripe for a break-up as a sharp decline in its share price has pushed its valuation to just £3bn, down from a peak of more than £11bn in 2015.
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