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ITN Merger with Comcast Wont Create New Rolling News Channel

“ITN isn't ITV. If the merger happens it will be part owned by Comcast but will still be a seperate entity. ITN could either be taken over entirely by Comcast and be subsumed into Sky News or it could lose its biggest contract and be in real trouble. There's no way it would launch a rolling news channel in this day and age”
Partially true
Confidence: High Checked on May 19, 2026

Summary

ITN is a separate news organization from ITV and, if Comcast’s Sky completes the acquisition of ITV’s Media and Entertainment unit, Comcast would acquire ITV plc’s 40% stake in ITN, leaving ITN as an independent entity partly owned by Comcast. There is no evidence that Comcast intends to fully absorb ITN into Sky News or that ITN will lose its main contract, and no reports indicate plans for ITN to launch a rolling news channel.

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Sources 59 searched

reuters.com
  • Comcast's Sky advances talks to acquire ITV unit with performance-based payout, sources say | Reuters

    Signage is seen on the side of an ITV office building at Media City in Manchester, Britain, May 13, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab ... LONDON, May 13 (Reuters) - Comcast (CMCSA.O), opens new tab-owned Sky is advancing towards a deal to acquire ITV's Media and Entertainment unit in a transaction that will include a payout dependent on the British broadcaster's performance, three people familiar with the matter said.

bbc.com
pbs.org
  • Federal judge blocks Nexstar-Tegna merger until antitrust lawsuit is resolved | PBS News

    The company also has a track record of consolidating local television news stations when it owns more than one station in a market, the judge said, meaning viewers "will lose options for where to get their local news." The deal could also force distributors like DirecTV to comply with Nexstar's demands for higher broadcast fees or risk leaving subscribers potentially unable to watch things like Sunday NFL football games, the judge said. Stopping the merger for now is "in the public interest," Nunley wrote.

en.wikipedia.org
  • ITV (TV network) - Wikipedia

    Currently ITV are behind the formats for Dancing on Ice, The Voice UK (the format originally coming from their Dutch production company) and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, while forthcoming music game show Walk The Line has been co-developed by Simon Cowell's Syco Entertainment and ITV. Since the network started, Independent Television News Limited (ITN) has held the contract to produce news for the ITV network, with 30-minute national news bulletins currently broadcast at 1:30 pm, and 10:00 pm, and an hour-long bulletin at 6.30pm.

  • ITV plc - Wikipedia

    As well as consolidating its (now 40%) shareholding in ITN itself, the newly merged company was able to buy the final 35% stake in the ITV News Channel from ITN's original partners NTL in April 2004. In November the same year, and following a frantic last-minute deal with BSkyB to buy its half ...

  • ITV Studios - Wikipedia

    ITV Studios Daytime was an in-house division that handles the production for the weekday daytime programmes Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning, and Loose Women. On 8 October 2025, it was announced that the label would merge with Multistory Media, with its programmes moving to the label aside from Good Morning Britain which was already planned to move its production to ITN. Potato was the factual entertainment subsidiary of ITV Studios, established in March 2013.

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