{"id":277237,"date":"2025-11-07T12:35:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T12:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/277237\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T12:35:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T12:35:11","slug":"sky-makes-2-1-billion-bid-for-itvs-networks-arm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/277237\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky Makes $2.1 Billion Bid for ITV’s Networks Arm"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tU.K. broadcaster ITV<\/a> has confirmed it has received a \u00a31.6 billion ($2.1 billion) bid from Comcast<\/a>\u2019s pay-TV platform Sky<\/a> for its media and entertainment unit. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe shock news \u2014\u00a0which would fundamentally change the British broadcasting landscape if it were to go ahead \u2014\u00a0would see Comcast take control of ITV\u2019s linear channels and ITVX streaming business, significantly expanding its U.K. TV foothold, having already acquired Sky for around $30 billion in 2018. <\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to news reports, the bid from Sky centers on the potential creation of a U.K.-focused streaming giant.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a short statement sent Friday morning, ITV said it noted \u201cthe recent\u00a0press\u00a0speculation and confirms that it\u00a0is in preliminary discussions\u00a0regarding\u00a0a\u00a0possible\u00a0sale\u00a0of\u00a0its\u00a0M&E\u00a0business to Sky\u00a0for an enterprise value of \u00a31.6bn.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt added: \u201cThere can be no certainty as to the terms upon which any\u00a0potential sale\u00a0may be agreed or whether any transaction will take place. A further announcement will be made\u00a0in due course\u00a0if\u00a0appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe discussions do not include ITV\u2019s production and sales arm, ITV Studios, which makes shows including \u201cLove Island,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m a Celebrity\u201d and the drama \u201cMr Bates vs The Post Office\u201d and has been the center of numerous recent takeover rumors. RedBird IMI and Banijay are understood to have expressed an interest in the unit.<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite only being preliminary, the idea of a sale of ITV\u2019s TV business to Sky \u2014\u00a0which would require regulatory approval \u2014 has sent the U.K. broadcasting world into a spin. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cITV\u2019s proposed \u00a31.6 billion sale of its Media & Entertainment division to Sky could mark a turning point for British television,\u201d said Giao Pacey, partner and corporate lawyer at media and entertainment law firm Simkins LLP. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a divestment, it\u2019s a sign that U.K. broadcasters are rethinking how they operate in a fast-moving media landscape. By offloading its traditional TV channels and streaming service ITVX, ITV is aiming to reduce its reliance on advertising, which can be unpredictable, and instead focus on producing content it can sell globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tConfirmation of the deal talks came shortly after ITV reported that it would \u201ctemporarily\u201d\u00a0shave $46 million from its budgets over the U.K.\u2019s \u201csoftening economy\u201d and advertiser uncertainty. It said it expected ad revenues to fall by 9% in the key fourth-quarter period in the lead up to Christmas. <\/p>\n

\n\tITV shares jumped 18% at the start of trading in London on Friday following news of a potential deal with Sky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"U.K. broadcaster ITV has confirmed it has received a \u00a31.6 billion ($2.1 billion) bid from Comcast\u2019s pay-TV platform…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":277238,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[6969,88,27709,10265,92],"class_list":{"0":"post-277237","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-comcast","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-itv","11":"tag-sky","12":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=277237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/277237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/277238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=277237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=277237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=277237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}