ITV revenue rises 2% as World Cup ad spend offsets £20m junk food rule hit
Twenty million pounds is roughly what new restrictions on less healthy food and drink advertising cost ITV in the first half of 2026, the broadcaster said in its H1 earnings update. Total revenue still climbed 2% year on year, with digital ad revenue up 13%, as advertiser spending around the FIFA World Cup covered the gap. ITV CEO Carolyn McCall also addressed the pending sale of its media and entertainment business to Sky, telling investors: "we remain confident that it will be approved by the relevant decision-makers." She added that a phase two CMA review would likely push completion into the second half of 2027.
Budgets earmarked for food and drink brands on ITV face tighter category restrictions going forward, pushing some of that spend toward digital or out-of-home alternatives, while the World Cup showed that premium live sport inventory still commands strong demand despite the shift to streaming. The Sky sale's regulatory timeline, potentially stretching to late 2027, adds planning uncertainty for anyone building multi-year upfront deals or cross-portfolio TV buys with ITV, since the combined entity's ad sales structure and inventory access could shift once the CMA process concludes.