Comcast keeps circling ITVX in £1.6B UK streaming play
ITV said in its full-year 2025 results that it remains actively engaged in discussions with Sky owner Comcast regarding a potential sale of ITV’s Media & Entertainment business, while noting there is no certainty a transaction will occur. The reported deal value is around £1.6 billion and would include ITV’s TV channels and streaming service ITVX. UK journalist union NUJ suggested the talks may be more advanced than publicly stated, with a deal potentially possible in Q2 2026.
Key Takeaways
- ITV reaffirmed ongoing discussions with Comcast/Sky over a possible sale of its Media & Entertainment business.
- The reported ~£1.6B scope includes ITV’s TV channels and ITVX (not necessarily ITV Studios).
- Management continues to caveat: no certainty of a transaction; updates will come “in due course.”
- NUJ suggests talks may be more advanced than indicated, with a deal potentially landing in Q2 2026.
- Strategic intent is widely read as Comcast/Sky aiming to build a UK-centric streaming heavyweight.
Why It Matters
This is the clearest signal yet that UK streaming consolidation is shifting from “content partnerships” to outright asset combinations. A Sky-Comcast + ITVX tie-up would fuse scale distribution (Sky) with mass-reach broadcast inventory and a fast-growing AVOD/SVOD hybrid (ITVX), potentially reshaping UK ad pricing, prominence negotiations, and rights competition. Expect heavy scrutiny: regulators will care about market power in advertising, carriage, and news plurality. For operators and streamers, the meme is “bundling gets local”—global platforms set the pace, but the next defensible moat may be national scale plus ad-tech leverage.
Read full article at tvbeurope.com
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