UK halts Daily Mail-Telegraph deal over public interest
British Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said she decided to intervene in the acquisition of Telegraph Media Group by DMGT, the owner of the Daily Mail, on public interest and competition grounds.
Nandy said in a statement that it had issued a public interest intervention notice due to concerns that the acquisition warranted further investigation.
The proposed £500 million ($957 million) acquisition would bring the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers under the same umbrella as the Daily Mail, Mail Sunday, Metro and The i Paper.
DMGT has previously said the Telegraph will remain editorially independent.
Nandy’s decision sends the deal to the UK’s media regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority to review issues of media pluralism and competition.
Both must report to Nandy by June 10.
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