ITV plans £25m in content savings as advertising demand weakens
The broadcaster expects a steeper fall in advertising in the final quarter, even as its streaming audience and digital revenue grew over the first nine months.
ITV has identified £25 million in content savings for the final quarter of 2026 as it prepares for weaker advertising demand. The figure forms part of £30 million in additional temporary savings for its Media & Entertainment business, according to the company’s 11 November trading update. The other £5 million is expected to come from discretionary spending outside content.
The company expects fourth-quarter advertising revenue to be around 5% to 10% lower than a year earlier. That forecast follows an 8% decline in the third quarter. Across the first nine months, the reduction was 1%. Reuters independently reported the update and the proposed savings on Wednesday.
Different measures of the same business
ITV reported that streaming hours increased by 29% over the first nine months compared with the same period in 2025. Its digital revenue rose by 7%. The company cited the closing matches of the football World Cup alongside its drama and entertainment programmes as contributors to streaming viewing. It attributed the broader pressure on advertising to economic uncertainty, competition from global streaming platforms and restrictions on advertising less healthy food.
The update also distinguishes Media & Entertainment from ITV Studios, which sells and produces programmes for ITV and outside customers. Studios revenue fell 1% over the nine months. ITV still expects full-year revenue growth there and says production deliveries and licensing deals are concentrated in the final quarter. The timing of those deliveries is a separate consideration from demand for advertising slots.
Analysis — what the savings can tell us
The contrast between streaming hours and advertising revenue matters because audience attention and the income earned from it are measured differently. A major event can bring viewers to a service quickly. The financial effect also depends on which audiences advertisers want to reach, how much inventory the broadcaster sells and the price buyers are willing to pay. An increase in viewing hours cannot resolve those questions on its own.
For programme makers, the timing of spending can matter alongside its size. A commissioning decision affects when a production can hire, book facilities or start filming. ITV has given an aggregate savings figure, leaving the consequences for individual programmes and suppliers unclear. The evidence to watch is how its commissioning and delivery schedules develop over the following quarters.
ITV expects a total content budget of about £1.2 billion for 2026. The latest savings describe management’s response to a specific quarter of weaker demand. Subsequent results will show how far digital growth can offset pressure on conventional television advertising and whether the company’s expectations for year-end Studios deliveries are met.