Reports - Comcast/Sky in talks to buy ITV Broadcasting

icdg

Reports circulating tonight that Comcast Corp, parent of Sky is in talks to buy the channels/streaming side of ITV. That is the five main ITV channels, the ITV regional operations and the ITVX streamer.

ITV would retain its Studios business, at least until it probably gets gobbled up separately.

Massive news if it comes to fruition, , and there are several reputable sources including Bloomberg and FT reporting it.

Non paywalled story:

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/sky-owner-comcast-talks-buy-itvs-broadcasting-arm-bloomberg-news-reports-2025-11-06/

10-10-20

Specifically ITV plc, traded as ITV.L.

Brings new meaning to the term 'Independent Television', eh?

icdg

“independent” always had a specific meaning - “Not the BBC”. It’s surprising how often that’s forgotten or it is somehow implied to be attached to ITV1’s status as a regional network (outside of Scotland now really just a legacy now).

It was a euphemism chosen to appease certain British lawmakers in the 1950s who were adamant they weren’t going to have any truck with US-style commercial television, it was going to be the BBC but run by the private sector, with PSB values (that persisted up until the 1990s but are mostly gone now, the continuing existence of the regional operations notwithstanding).

One major obstacle to this deal (if there is one) going through will be the question of what happens to ITN and Sky News though - regulators (and politicians) will probably want an arrangement that preserves them both as separate operations but an Comcast owned ITV will presumably be keen to either merge them or to ditch ITN in favour of Sky News.

channelsurfer2

some immediate thoughts if it does happen -

no ITV studios programming so VMTV are safe for now re content but im sure that Comcast will seek to leverage ITV1 or whatever as a pay tv channel in future years here in IRELAND as a benefit if having sky.

Irish regulator will they need to approve it due to sky broadcasting here and having a significant share of the market?

ITV 2 3 and 4 - paywall move?

some small free to air sport element on ITV from Sky but not much.

ITN/SKY news merger?

Again all the above just my initial thoughts and none or all of it may happen.

icdg

ITV Studios, or whatever they rename it to (and who would bet against “Granada”, eh?) will still be free to license its content separately to VMTV in Ireland and Sky in the UK, if that is what they choose.

VM can also prevent ITV1&2 returning to its own cable network, again if that’s what they want.

What VM or VMTV will not be able to prevent is one or more of the following happening.

• Sky, down the road (or even as part of this deal) acquiring the license for ITV Studios programmes in Ireland, with a high enough bid.
• ITV1&2 (and in the case of Sky, ITV3&4) retuning to platforms in Ireland other than VM cable, subject to rights (and/or ITV being able to avail of the same arrangement that persisted pre UTV Ireland).

VMTV’s deal is with ITV Studios. Not ITV Broadcasting. Whatever non compete arrangement (if they even had one, given ITV3&4 always continued on VM cable) will not survive long term with Sky - they certainly won’t be withdrawing from Ireland, they are a major player here.

Infoanon

The story is big enough to get 9 minutes of coverage on RTEs News at One,

The potential impact on VMTV was not discussed but as @icdg has made clear Sky won't be withdrawing from the Irish market and in time I expect that programming for ITV will be for both UK and Ireland similar to everything else Sky do.

AyeGer

Anything that sees Sky get more powerful is not good imo.

10-10-20

Explain to me how the relationship between Sky and ITV exists? I would have thought that they were independent entities… but clearly not.

copacetic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123968583#Comment_123968583

ITN make channel 4 news also (and channel 5) it’s a big operation, its future would seem most likely to exercise Ofcom.

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123970143#Comment_123970143

They are, though ITV Studios has made programmes for Sky in the past.

Sky is in talks (now confirmed) to buy the broadcasting and streaming side of ITV, ie the channels and the ITVX streamer.

No guarantee of any deal.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123970345#Comment_123970345

Oh ok Sky owner is Commcast. That was the price which didnt register.

icdg

Yes.

The Stock Exchange announcement mentions only Sky, rather than Comcast, but they are the ultimate parent company.

L1011

Have already seen people claiming the main asset here is the 3/103 EPG slot.

STV will have some very, very strong opinions on that.

icdg

I think that would have been true ten years ago, I’m not sure now.

That 103 slot comes with having to run 13 regional news operations, including UTV in Belfast, that Sky won’t have any particular interest in. The legacy of the old pre-2004 ITV Network. It also comes with a significant commitment to news and current affairs and other legacy PSB stuff. Yes, Sky has always had Sky News, and more recently Sky Arts, but this is a much bigger order of commitment.

I’ve always been of the view that the day the balance overwhelming tilted in favour of streaming, ITV would hand back the licenses and ditch all those PSB commitments. I think a Sky takeover makes that more likely not less.

channelsurfer2

I think VMTV should be worried about this in Ireland. Sky wont be like UTV Ireland when it comes to getting rights as they are renewing rights on a UK and IRL basis these days but then again maybe they will be like Paramount and just leave ITV as UK based ala Channel 5 and its stable of channels.