Buyer Database · Buyer / Distributor · Updated

Itv

ITV is the UK's largest commercial broadcaster and a major content producer-distributor, navigating a period of cost discipline while continuing to commission high-profile drama, factual, and entertainment programming across linear and streaming.

Current mandate

ITV occupies a defining position in the UK commercial broadcasting landscape, operating both as a major broadcaster and a global content studio through ITV Studios. The company reported total revenue of £2.79bn in the nine months to September 2025, a 2% rise year-on-year, even as it navigates a softening advertising market. CEO Carolyn McCall has described the business as supported by "laser-focused strategic cost management" and a "resilient and highly cash generative linear broadcast business." ITV Studios revenue grew 11% in the same period, with external revenue up 20%, reflecting strong demand from global streaming platforms. The company has identified £35m in temporary savings in Q4 2025, including £20m in content savings achieved by moving some programming into 2026, financed out of existing 2026 content spending plans. The total content budget for 2025 is expected to be around £1.21bn.

Across the recent commissioning cycle, ITV's acquisition and commissioning pattern skews heavily toward celebrity-fronted factual, returning drama franchises, and entertainment formats. Recent commissions include the final two-part installment of the long-running documentary series "70 Up," a six-part lunar thriller "First Woman" starring Andrea Riseborough and Ashley Walters, a seventh season of detective drama "Grace" alongside four stand-alone films, and two Freddie Flintoff-fronted factual projects. The broadcaster has also commissioned a UK version of the US crazy golf format "Holey Moley" and a second season of "Fletchers' Family Farm" for ITV1 and ITVBe. On the talent side, Ant and Dec have signed a new three-year ITV contract, underscoring the network's continued investment in established presenting talent. Digital performance is a growing priority: digital ad revenue via ITVX rose 15% in the nine months to September 2025, and total streaming hours on ITVX increased by 14%.

Material reaches ITV primarily through established production relationships, in-house commissioning teams, and its own ITV Studios production arm. Commissions such as "70 Up" were ordered directly by named executives including Sue Murphy, head of factual entertainment commissioning, and Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of Factual. The Fremantle-backed 72 Films produced the Flintoff Tourette's documentary, illustrating that projects with established production company backing and talent attachments are the documented route into the slate. ITV Studios also delivers content for third-party platforms including Apple TV+, Peacock, and the BBC, meaning the studio functions as both a buyer and a supplier in the broader market. No open submission portal or unsolicited writer programme is documented in available data.

Signature peaks

  • ~£1.21bn Total Content Budget 2025 — ITV's expected total content spend for the full year 2025, per company guidance.
  • +11% ITV Studios Revenue Growth — ITV Studios revenue grew 11% in the nine months to September 2025, with external revenue up 20%.
  • +15% ITVX Digital Ad Revenue — Digital ad revenue via ITVX rose 15% in the nine months to September 2025, with streaming hours up 14%.

Mandate dimensions

Genre focus
comedy
Territory focus
UK
Budget tier (observed)
Not disclosed
Access pattern
Every tracked commission in recent data reached ITV through named commissioning executives or via established production company relationships, with projects such as the Flintoff Tourette's documentary arriving through Fremantle-backed 72 Films. No open submission portal or named writer programme is documented in available data.
Deal structure
ITV primarily commissions original content directly through its in-house commissioning teams and acquires broadcast rights for formats, sports, and returning series; ITV Studios additionally operates as a production and distribution entity, delivering finished programming to third-party platforms including Apple TV+, Peacock, and the BBC under supply agreements.

Recent acquisitions

  • 70 Up

    2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z · commissioned
    '70 Up' has been commissioned by Sue Murphy, head of factual entertainment commissioning ITV and Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of Factual ITV.

  • 70 Up (final two-part installment of 'Up' series)

    2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z · commissioned
    '70 Up' has been commissioned by Sue Murphy, head of factual entertainment commissioning ITV and Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of Factual ITV.

  • Ant and Dec three-year ITV contract

    just signed · Acquired

  • Broadcast rights for England Women’s football team matches

    2025-01-01T00:00:00.000Z · Acquired

  • First Woman

    2026-04-24T00:00:00.000Z · ordered
    ITV has ordered six-part lunar thriller First Woman, starring Andrea Riseborough and Ashley Walters

  • Fletchers' Family Farm Season 2

    2026-06-15T00:00:00.000Z · commissioned
    ITV1 and ITVBe have commissioned a second season of Fletchers' Family Farm

  • Freddie Flintoff's Mission: Nepal

    2026-01-29T17:10:02.773Z · commissioned

  • Freddie Flintoff: Understanding Tourette's

    2026-06-10T00:00:00.000Z · commissioned
    ITV has commissioned two-part factual series Freddie Flintoff: Understanding Tourette's (working title), produced by Fremantle-backed 72 Films

Market context

With a total content budget of around £1.21bn and ITV Studios revenue up 11%, ITV is cutting costs strategically while doubling down on premium UK originals and celebrity-fronted factual.

ITV occupies a defining position in the UK commercial broadcasting landscape, operating both as a major broadcaster and a global content studio through ITV Studios. The company reported total revenue of £2.79bn in the nine months to September 2025, a 2% rise year-on-year, even as it navigates a softening advertising market. CEO Carolyn McCall has described the business as supported by "laser-focused strategic cost management" and a "resilient and highly cash generative linear broadcast business." ITV Studios revenue grew 11% in the same period, with external revenue up 20%, reflecting strong demand from global streaming platforms. The company has identified £35m in temporary savings in Q4 2025, including £20m in content savings achieved by moving some programming into 2026, financed out of existing 2026 content spending plans. The total content budget for 2025 is expected to be around £1.21bn.

Common questions about Itv

Does ITV accept unsolicited scripts?

No unsolicited submission pathway is documented in available data. Every tracked commission at ITV has come through established production companies, named commissioning executives, or talent-attached projects. For example, '70 Up' was ordered directly by Sue Murphy and Jo Clinton-Davis, and the Flintoff Tourette's documentary came via Fremantle-backed 72 Films. Writers seeking to reach ITV are best served by attaching a recognised UK production company before approaching the network.

What budgets does ITV typically work at?

ITV's total content budget for 2025 is expected to be around £1.21bn across its full slate of drama, factual, entertainment, and sport. Individual project budgets are not publicly disclosed in recent deal records. The scale of commissions ranges from multi-part celebrity documentaries to six-part prestige dramas such as 'First Woman,' suggesting a wide budget band, though no per-project figures are available from current data.

What festivals does ITV source content from?

ITV's commissioning activity, as tracked in recent deal data, does not show a documented pattern of festival-driven acquisitions in the way that specialist film distributors operate. The broadcaster sources primarily through direct commissioning relationships with UK production companies and its own ITV Studios arm. ITV Studios also delivers content to global streaming platforms including Apple TV+ and Peacock, suggesting its acquisition radar extends to international co-production rather than festival pickups.

How do I get my script in front of ITV?

Based on observed deal patterns, the most documented route is through an established UK production company with an existing ITV relationship. Recent commissions such as 'Freddie Flintoff: Understanding Tourette's,' produced by Fremantle-backed 72 Films, illustrate that production company backing and talent attachment are the clearest pathways. ITV's commissioning executives, including Sue Murphy in factual entertainment and Jo Clinton-Davis in factual, are the named decision-makers on recent orders.

What genres is ITV currently acquiring?

Current commissioning activity spans celebrity-fronted factual documentary, returning detective drama, entertainment formats, and prestige thriller. Recent orders include the final installment of the 'Up' documentary series, two Freddie Flintoff factual projects, a sixth season of 'Grace' plus stand-alone films, the six-part lunar thriller 'First Woman,' and a UK adaptation of the US format 'Holey Moley.' The content focus signal also points to men's self-improvement documentary and contemporary social trends as an area of active interest.

Is ITV currently active in the market?

Yes. ITV recorded 163 total records in the past 12 months and seven unique deals in the past 90 days, with the latest signal dated August 2025. The company is managing a period of cost discipline, including £35m in temporary Q4 2025 savings, but continues to commission across drama, factual, and entertainment. ITV Studios revenue grew 11% year-on-year, and ITVX digital hours rose 14%, indicating active investment in both linear and streaming content.

Adjacent buyers in this lane

  • Beta Cinema — Beta Cinema is a Munich-based international sales agent specializing in arthouse and literary-adapta
  • Starz — Starz is a premium cable and streaming network doubling down on wholly owned scripted drama and inte
  • Cineflix Rights — Cineflix Rights is a genre-focused international distributor and co-production financier specializin
  • Filmax — Filmax is a Spanish distributor and co-producer with a long track record in genre cinema, currently

Related reading

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