ITV to hand shareholders £100m after striking Sky deal

ITV has said it will hand £100 million to shareholders following Sky’s £1.6 billion deal to buy the company’s media and entertainment business.

It came as ITV reported a boost to advertising revenues from the World Cup, helping to offset a £20 million hit from recently introduced rules about advertising less healthy foods.

Boss Carolyn McCall said the company had delivered a “solid” performance over the first half of 2026.

It comes after ITV struck a deal, earlier this month, to sell its media and entertainment division to Sky, in a move which will create a major competitor to the global streaming giants.

The sale includes ITV’s terrestrial TV channels and streaming service ITVX but does not include its production arm, ITV Studios, which makes shows including I’m A Celebrity and popular dramas, such as Mr Bates Vs The Post Office.

On Friday, ITV said it would start a share buyback programme to hand £100 million to shareholders following the deal.

It said the move is part of an early return of £950 million in total cash returns set to be secured from the £1.6 billion deal.

The group’s board also confirmed a half-year dividend worth about £60 million.

Bosses at ITV revealed the company saw total group revenues increase by 2% to £1.89 billion for the six-month period, compared with a year earlier.