Itv lifts revenue 1% to £766mn and keeps outlook firm
itv lifted first-quarter revenue 1% to £766mn and kept its full-year outlook unchanged. Studios grew 4% while Media & Entertainment slipped 2%, leaving the business with a cleaner split between stronger content delivery and a softer broadcast side. That mix now points the next quarter toward advertising rather than volume.
£766mn at ITV
£766mn was the first-quarter revenue figure, and it came with advertising that was a touch better than expected. Digital advertising rose 14% inside Media & Entertainment, while non-advertising revenue in the same division fell 8%, showing how much the business now leans on streaming-linked demand rather than the rest of the mix.
4% growth at Studios was helped by the timing of content deliveries to global streaming platforms. For a business built around output as much as airtime, that is the steadier engine in the quarter, and it gives ITV a second leg while the free-to-air side works through a 2% decline in Media & Entertainment revenue.
Sky talks and £592mn debt
£592mn was the net debt figure at the end of the quarter, up £26mn over the period. ITV is still in active discussions with Sky over a possible sale of its Media & Entertainment business, and the price being discussed looked like £1.6bn, a number that keeps the strategic debate alive even as the trading update itself stayed on message.
10% is the second-quarter advertising growth ITV expects for Media & Entertainment, helped by the Men’s Football World Cup and the prime-time inventory it brings. Digital advertising revenues were £482mn in 2024, and ITV says they could exceed £750mn by the end of 2026, which makes the online side the clearest growth line in the group’s current plan.
£750mn by 2026
The practical read-through is straightforward: ITV is banking on digital ad growth and Studios to offset the weaker parts of its legacy television model. If the second quarter delivers the 10% ad lift it expects, the business heads into the rest of the year with its outlook intact and more of its value tied to streaming hours, content delivery, and the deal table with Sky.
