UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she is minded to intervene in Paramount Skydance's $111bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, citing concerns about media plurality and ownership concentration. The proposed merger would combine major assets including CBS, Channel 5, CNN, HBO and Warner Bros movies under one roof, creating one of the world's largest entertainment groups.

Nandy's intervention focuses on UK-serving businesses such as Channel 5, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, CNN International, and streaming platforms Paramount+ and HBO Max. She has given Paramount until July 6 to respond before deciding whether to trigger a formal review by Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority.

The deal has already cleared US regulators without concessions, while the EU prepares to approve it with potential remedies including Paramount exiting its Universal Pictures joint venture. This follows Nandy's previous intervention in the Telegraph newspaper sale to Germany's Axel Springer, which faced months of delays.

Paramount remains confident the transaction poses no UK media plurality issues and expects third-quarter completion. However, an intervention could strain relations between the Trump administration, which backs the deal, and UK leadership under Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham.