One of the biggest deals in UK broadcasting history was cleared on Tuesday, as the government approved the £4.4bn ($7.4bn; €6.3bn) merger of <a target="_blank" href="http://mwprices.ft.com/custom/ft-com/quotechartnews.asp?subtab=%26amp;FTSite=FTCOM%26amp;q=GAA%26amp;searchtype=equity%26amp;expanded=%26amp;countrycode=UK%26amp;s2=uk%26amp;symb=GAA%26amp;sid=184806%26amp;site=%26amp;company=NEW%26amp;selected=Granada#GAA">Granada</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://mwprices.ft.com/custom/ft-com/quotechartnews.asp?subtab=%26amp;FTSite=FTCOM%26amp;q=CCM%26amp;searchtype=%26amp;expanded=%26amp;countrycode=UK%26amp;s2=uk%26amp;symb=CCM%26amp;sid=120715%26amp;site=%26amp;company=NEW%26amp;selected=Carlton+Communctns#CCM">Carlton</a>.

The deal will help the country's two biggest commercial broadcasters compete against British Sky Broadcasting, the satellite operator that is 35.4 per cent owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, and the publicly-funded British Broadcasting Corporation.