Competition Commission gives options for ITV merger.(Carlton/Granada merger poropsal)

The Competition Commission has outlined two possible outcomes to its investigation into the proposed Carlton/Granada merger, should it find the existing proposal is against the public interest.

In letters issued to Carlton and Granada, the Commission says a complete ban on the merger taking place or the sale of both sales houses to be run independently would be the options.

The letters - a standard measure distributed in all cases by the Commission before it reaches its conclusions - also provide a clear outline of the factors that it will consider in reaching its findings.

It will consider the definition of economic markets affected by the proposed merger to determine whether or not total television advertising - rather than total display advertising - is the relevant market within which to view a merged ITV.

Second, it will study how the proposed merger is likely to affect competition.

Within this, it will focus on whether Carlton and Granada currently compete against each other for advertising revenue and share, and if so, whether the merger ...