Sky’s deal for ITV looks set to fundamentally reshape the U.K. media industry. Two of the country’s biggest broadcast players will operate under the same umbrella with a combined business spanning 40 million viewers a month on subscription TV, multiple streaming services, and free-to-air broadcast.
Advertisers have been conspicuously absent from the conversation, however — and questions regarding the deal’s impact on pricing, targeting and audience options remain unanswered.
During ITV’s investor call held July 6, brands were barely mentioned, despite the fact that the combined businesses will control roughly £3.9 billion in ad revenue, almost half (44%) of the U.K.’s annual TV ad spend. Instead, the emphasis was on the upside for ITV shareholders and on how the combined entity would stick to ITV’s responsibilities as a public service broadcaster.
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