Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Happy Monday and good morning to those of you who had a late night celebrating England’s win in Mexico.
And to kick off the week: ITV has agreed to sell its media and entertainment business to Sky in a £1.6bn deal, the broadcasters announced this morning.
At a headline value of up to £1.6bn, the sale of ITV’s M&E division will deliver a significant cash return to shareholders. Crucially, the transaction also unlocks the value of ITV Studios which post completion will be a distinctive pure-play global content business, with a strong track record of success and excellent prospects, further underpinned by a long-term partnership with ITV M&E and Sky.”
This is a defining moment for British media and an opportunity to build a stronger future for two of the UK’s most loved and trusted brands. We have huge respect for the transformation the ITV team has delivered, particularly its successful move into streaming through ITVX, which has brought fantastic British content to millions of viewers across the UK.
Bringing Sky and ITV Media & Entertainment together combines the very best of free-to-air television, pay TV and streaming, ensuring viewers across the UK continue to enjoy outstanding British programming in a rapidly changing world.
9.30am BST: UK construction PMI
2.30pm and 3pm BST: US service PMI reports
3.30pm BST: Public Accounts Committee session – “Will £9bn lost to Covid fraud and error ever be recovered by the government?”
5.45pm: Catherine L Mann speaking on a panel at the Royal Economic Society 2026 conference ‘Trusted, accessible and connected? The future of UK economic data’, in Newcastle
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