ITV cutting costs by £30m as ad market weakens

Résumé détaillé

Total advertising revenues fell by 8% in the third quarter and they could fall by up to 10% in the final three months of 2026, the broadcaster said.

ITV has revealed plans to cut costs by another £30 million by the end of the year as it warned over a worsening advertising market.

The group – which struck a £1.6 billion deal in July to sell its media and entertainment division to Sky – said total advertising revenues fell 8% in the quarter to the end of September and cautioned they could fall by up to 10% in the final three months of the year as it said demand for advertising had “weakened”.

ITV, which makes hit shows such as I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, now expects total ad revenues to fall by 2% to 3% over the year as a whole, saying the market has been impacted by competition from streaming rivals, global economic uncertainty and last year’s introduction of restrictions on junk food advertising aired on TV and online.

ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said the group was taking “decisive action” to offset the weaker market, stripping out £30 million in costs from its media and entertainment division.

Around £25 million of this will come from content savings, such as by delaying airing of some content into next year, as well as £5 million from “discretionary non-content savings” as it looks to tighten its belt across the business.

Dame Carolyn said: “Demand for advertising in the second half has weakened.

“This is due to continuing broader macroeconomic uncertainty, increased digital advertising on global streaming platforms and the impact of less healthy food regulations which came into effect on October 1 2025.

“We are taking decisive action, aligning our investment with advertiser demand to deliver additional temporary content and discretionary non-content cost savings in the fourth quarter.”

She added: “While the outlook for advertising remains muted, we are firmly focused on self-help and mitigating actions.”

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