UK media merger law changes 'for the digital age' proposed by Labor Party

Britain's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy unveiled plans on Wednesday to broaden the reach of Britain's media merger laws, updating them “to reflect modern news consumption habits and better protect media freedom and plurality” . The current regulatory regime only covers television, radio and print publications.

The changes would allow “greater scrutiny in the public interest” of deals that include the purchase of online news publications and UK news magazines “which could have a negative impact on accurate reporting, freedom of expression and media plurality” .

Currently, the media mergers regime established by the Enterprise Act 2002 allows the Minister for Culture to “intervene in mergers and acquisitions of broadcasters (defined as services requiring a license under the Broadcasting Act 1996), as well as newspapers and Sunday newspapers in the United Kingdom”. and local periodicals, which circulate mainly in the United Kingdom,” the Labor Party government stressed.

Nandy launched a consultation seeking views on widening the scope of regulation, saying: “Since the media merger regime came into force more than 20 years ago, our laws have not kept pace with technology and l evolution of news consumption habits. As more and more people get their news online, we need a regime that is future-proof. That is why I am proposing further reforms to protect the availability of accurate, high-quality news from a variety of sources, ensuring that media freedom continues to be respected.”

It said the update would also cover deals involving companies that own online news publications that are “linked to the UK, for example online-only news providers, such as HuffPost OR The Independentor the online branches of print publications.

The proposed changes would not apply retroactively to historical transactions.

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