Looking back at it now, it is kinda funny seeing how much of a row was raised over on both sides of the pond. You had Americans yelling about their entertainment being overrun by "The Second British Invasion" (or Third, if you count burning down the White House), and British yelling about a public company 'wasting' license-payers' money to get kids comic books. If you want an odd read, look up the 'Superman Debates' where Parliament worked out if the BBC was allowed to make this kind of acquisition (nowhere else would you get Margaret Thatcher and Harold Wilson have the next-best thing to a superhero argument).
Anyway, despite all the controversy, and even the resignations among the upper levels of management, it goes without saying this purchase had more than paid off for the Beeb, and was a landmark moment in how it functioned as an entertainment company. The extra revenue made by DC really pushed the experimentalism it could indulge in with its more inhouse work, and DC itself got the shakeup it needed and soared during the '80s (OOC: Moreso than IOTL, because of the injection of cash helping bring in extra talent). It even led to further acquisitions in the coming decades.
So, what if the BBC never made the decision to buy DC, or that Parliament decided against allowing the acquisition to go through? How would the comics, shows and movies be different? Would somebody else buy DC, or would they recover on their own?