The Competition Commission has given provisional go-ahead to ITV for the sale of social networking site Friends Reunited to online genealogy company Brightsolid.
ITV bought Friends Reunited for £170m in December 2005 and announced its intention to sell the business last year after suffering heavy mid-year losses.
Brightsolid already owns genealogy sites FindMyPast.com and 1911Census.com. As Friends Reunited is the parent company of genealogy site, Genes Reunited, Brightsolid's proposed £25m acquisition of Friends Reunited was referred to the Competition Commission when the proposed sale was announced last summer.
The regulator's provisional findings are that this acquisition would not result in a reduction of competition for consumers.
ITV and Brightside have both welcomed the news and the National Archive has also announced its support for the deal.
It is expected that Brightside will merge its existing genealogy sites with Genes Reunited. However, even after this merger, the main player in the market, Ancestry.co.uk, will remain the largest in the market.
The area of genealogy research is growing rapidly, with estimates that approximately 2 million people access genealogy websites in the UK every month. 
This B2B meat supplier, with roots in the early 1900s, enjoys a 95% customer retention rate and serves a diverse clientele across the Northwest, including schools and hospitality venues.
This is a unique opportunity to acquire a well-established family-run business which has been successfully trading for over 150 years.
Discover a unique opportunity to invest in a UK-regulated investment platform with a thriving portfolio in financial and security technology sectors.
Please choose your settings for this site below. For more information please read our Cookie Policy
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and provide you with access to all features.
These are analytics cookies that help us to improve the way our website works.
These are used to improve the functional performance of the website and make it easier for you to use.