Brits might be proud of our media, culture and progressive national identity. The BBC, despite imperfections, remains our own national broadcaster and a crucial part of who we are bringing us historic comedy, drama and more. Ofcom, the UK's regulatory broadcast body, does a far better job than its counterparts in USA in maintaining a media landscape that we can even remotely rely on. 

Yet, in the past year, a growing "US-UK buy-out surge" has taken major UK markets by storm, with American companies increasingly buying out British businesses across different sectors . One is the potential sale of UK's historic 3rd channel, ITV , a British free-to-air public broadcast television network., to the American conglomerate Comcast, owner of Sky and the largest cable television company in the United States . This acquisition raises alarms over the future of UK's diverse and independent media landscape. Is our media to become yet another pawn in Trump's hunger for political influence and climate denial?

Comcast is the seventh largest lobbying budget of any individual company or organization in the United States, and employs multiple former U.S. Congressmen as lobbyists. The National Cable & Telecommunications Associationin the USA has multiple Comcast executives on its board, and represents Comcast and other cable companies as the fifth largest political lobbying organization in the United States, spending $19.8 million on lobbying back in 2013. I have reached out to them for comment.

If this sale goes through: ITV could become a mere extension of foreign interests, altering its content to reflect perspectives far removed from our own. Media conglomerates like those in the USA have become arenas for fake news and party propaganda, with oligarchs and those in political power using them as megaphones for their personal agendas. How long before UK media is twisted into a tool for external influences, much like Truth Social, Fox TV and X are in spreading misinformation and shaping American public opinion?

One warning sign is the launch of a GB News programme on US channels, bringing in huge cash injection of American dollars into what is essentially a platform for the Reform Party. Such moves open us up to political interference, directly impacting our sovereignty and democratic processes.

Our government and the CMA, the Competition and Markets Authority must take a firm stand NOW. They must prevent these acquisitions, to preserve the independence and integrity of our nation's media. Tell CMA and the government to reject the sale of ITV and ITN and to curb the influence of foreign interests in the UK's media landscape.

Send a strong message to Parliament that British television brands are not for sale. Sign here to ensure that the UK maintains broadcasting standards that serve its people, not external powers. Only together, can we can protect our national identity and sovereignty.

(Artwork: Media Matters.org)