ITV stays on track with interim guidance, launches £100 million share buyback

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ITV interim guidance & buyback

Highlights

ITV reports solid H1 2026 performance with strong revenue growth at ITV Studios and double-digit digital revenue gains in Media & Entertainment, remaining on track for full-year guidance.
Recently announced sale of Media & Entertainment to Sky expected to generate a net cash return of around £950 million, with ITV retaining ownership of ITV Studios.
ITV declares an interim dividend of 1.7 pence (£60 million total) and launches a £100 million share buyback alongside ongoing momentum and a strong ITV Studios H2 delivery pipeline.

Interim filing and first-half trading

As reported by London Stock Exchange, citing London Stock Exchange Regulatory News Service, ITV has submitted its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026 in full unedited text to the Financial Conduct Authority's National Storage Mechanism, where they will be available for inspection shortly.

The company says it delivers a solid H1 performance and remains on track to meet its full-year guidance. ITV highlights good revenue growth at ITV Studios and strong, profitable digital revenue growth within Media & Entertainment.

ITV Studios says its first-half performance reflects the year-on-year phasing of its production slate, with revenue, profit and margin weighted toward the second half as previously guided. The company says this is supported by a significant volume of large deliveries and high-margin licensing deals in H2, over which it has good visibility.

Within Media & Entertainment, ITVX continues to perform strongly, with double-digit growth in both viewing and digital advertising revenues during the period. Total Advertising Revenue also grows strongly in the first half and into July, reflecting what ITV describes as a very successful Men's Football World Cup and continued strong demand from advertisers.

Shareholder returns and deal impact

The recently announced sale of Media & Entertainment to Sky marks a major step for ITV's portfolio and capital returns strategy. ITV says the transaction will unlock significant value for shareholders while leaving the group with continued ownership of ITV Studios, which it describes as an attractive and growing global content business.

On completion of the sale, ITV expects a net cash return of around £950 million, excluding any contingent consideration. As an early return of part of that amount, the board declares an interim dividend of 1.7 pence, totaling about £60 million, and announces a £100 million share buyback today.

ITV says macro-economic headwinds remain, but it stays focused on the performance of both businesses. The company adds that momentum continues and that ITV Studios has a strong second-half delivery schedule.

The FCA’s plans to improve visibility into UK share trading outlined a push for a consolidated equity data tape and fuller publication of market-depth and trading-value figures across venues. Our earlier article explained that the regulator aims to counter under-reporting of London liquidity by aggregating data from the LSE and other trading platforms, with a tender planned for a multi-year build and an interim reporting framework launched ahead of it.

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