World Cup helps ITV deliver 'solid' first half
World Cup-driven advertising and 27% growth at ITVX helped offset a £20 million hit from junk food ad rules, while ITV returned cash to shareholders.
- ITV unveiled solid first-half 2026 results today, reporting a 2% revenue uplift to £1.9 billion alongside a £100 million share buyback announced by CEO Carolyn McCall.
- The results follow ITV's agreement earlier this month to sell its Media and Entertainment division to Comcast-owned Sky for £1.6 billion , leaving the production arm, ITV Studios, as an independent listed company.
- ITV Studios revenue reached £912M , though international and U.S. markets saw declines of 24% and 17% respectively; Studios chief Julian Bellamy attributed this to a "softening of demand" in free-to-air spaces.
- Advertising revenue grew 13% year-on-year, boosted by World Cup demand, though regulations on less healthy food commercials caused a £20 million hit; ITV warned advertising may drop 5% next quarter amid macroeconomic headwinds.
- Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to issue a Public Intervention Notice regarding the Sky acquisition, which ITV anticipates will complete midway through next year despite ongoing regulatory review processes.
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13 Articles
Evening Standard
Winsford GuardianITV to hand shareholders £100m after striking £1.6bn Sky deal
The news came as ITV reported a boost to advertising revenues from the World Cup.
ITV reports “solid” H1 boosted by World Cup
ITV, the UK commercial broadcaster, has reported that total Group revenue for H1 2026 was up 2 per cent to £1.9 billion (€2.2bn), with external Group revenue up 1 per cent year-on-year. It is the first set of results that ITV has published since announcing the sale of its network and streaming business to Sky […]
ITV Sees ‘Solid’ Results in First Half of 2026, Reports $26 Million Loss Due to Fast Food Advertising Regulations
ITV has unveiled “solid” if underwhelming results for the first half of 2026, with a 2% uplift across its major profit centers. Total group revenue stayed steady at £1.9 billion ($2.5 billion). These are the first results published since it was revealed ITV are selling their media and entertainment arm to Comcast-owned Sky. Production outfit […]
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