Sky agrees to buy British broadcaster ITV for up $2.1 billion to compete with streaming giants

A Japan supporter reacts after the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Brazil and Japan in Houston, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) 2026-07-06T07:48:06Z London (AP) — Sky, the UK-based TV, internet and mobile phone provider owned by Comcast, has agreed to buy ITV’s media and entertainment arm for up to 1.6 billion pounds ($2.1 billion) after months of talks to create a major competitor to the global streaming giants. The deal includes the terrestrial TV channels and streaming service of ITV, Britain’s largest commercial broadcaster. ITV’s production arm, ITV-studios" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="154349" data-entity-type="organization">ITV Studios, known for shows such as the “I’m A Celebrity’’ series, will remain an independent company. The transaction will “create a UK champion with the scale and resources to better compete with global streaming platforms,” ITV Chairman Andrew Cosslett said in a statement. The combined Sky-ITV entity will become part of NBCUniversal following the completion of its split from Comcast, ITV said.