Carlton shareholders approve merger

Shareholders in Carlton today overwhelmingly approved the group’s £4.5bn (€6.5bn) merger with Granada to create a single new ITV company.

At a meeting at London’s Queen Elizabeth II conference centre, shareholders voted 99.9% in favour of the deal, which is due to take effect on February 2. Just 30,000 of the 394.9 million votes were against the merger, with 394.8 million in favour.

Attention will now switch to Granada shareholders who are due to vote on the deal at their own, separate meeting at the same venue this afternoon.

If they approve it, the two companies will need only the approval of the courts at the end of this month for the deal to proceed.

Chairman Michael Green, who hosted today’s meeting, will leave the group after completion of the merger following a controversial move by institutional shareholders to bar him from taking over as head of the new company.

Some shareholders at the meeting voiced anger about Mr Green’s departure, with one saying it was “an utter waste of talent”.