"Fold those newsrooms into a single company, and one boardroom’s commercial anxieties—or political debts—determine what millions of people see," they added.
The actors addressed UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who recently indicated she is minded to launch a formal public interest investigation.
"The fight against this merger now runs on two fronts, and Nandy commands one of them," they said.
They called on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Competition and Markets Authority to perform a full review.
The actors stressed that creative workers must defend the local industry from catastrophic consolidation.
"The U. K.
is being threatened by a media merger that would harm our workers, our culture and the public — but we can stop it," they said.
They pointed to past consolidations, including Discovery's 2022 acquisition of WarnerMedia and Skydance's merger with Paramount, as precedents that led to layoffs and cancelled projects.
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The legal battle continues globally, with the European Commission granting conditional approval and twelve US states filing suit to halt the deal.
