Carolyn McCall has been CEO of ITV since January 2018. She previously served as CEO of easyJet (2010-2017) and CEO of Guardian Media Group (2006-2010). On 25 June 2026 she agreed terms for Sky to acquire ITV's broadcast and streaming Arm for £1.6bn, subject to Ofcom and CMA clearance.Source: ITV / Reuters

What did Carolyn McCall say about the Sky deal for ITV?

McCall confirmed that Sky acquisition discussions were "very much actively engaged" at the Enders Analysis TMT Leaders Live conference on 4 June 2026. Sky and ITV subsequently agreed £1.6bn terms on 25 June 2026, pending Ofcom and CMA approval.Source: Enders Analysis TMT Leaders Live / Reuters

How much is Sky paying for ITV and what does the deal include?

Sky agreed to pay £1.6bn for ITV's Media and Entertainment division, which includes ITV's linear broadcast channels and the ITVX streaming platform. A roughly £200m performance-contingent earn-out may also apply. Love Productions (The Great British Bake Off) moves to ITV Studios, which is not included in the deal.Source: Reuters / The Times

Background

Sky and ITV agreed terms on 25 June 2026 for Sky to acquire ITV's Media and Entertainment division, including ITV's linear channels and the ITVX streaming platform, for £1.6bn, with a formal announcement expected within two weeks subject to Ofcom and CMA clearance. Love Productions, maker of The Great British Bake Off, moves to ITV Studios, which stays outside the deal. McCall had confirmed discussions were "very much actively engaged" at the Enders Analysis TMT Leaders Live conference on 4 June 2026, with terms tracking the £1.6bn plus roughly £200m earn-out structure she had indicated earlier in the year.

Born in 1961, McCall is one of the most experienced media executives in the UK. She served as CEO of Guardian Media Group from 2006 to 2010, overseeing its financial restructuring and the Scott Trust's endowment strategy, before becoming CEO of easyJet from 2010 to 2017, where she repositioned it from a low-cost carrier into a network airline. She joined ITV in January 2018. Before media, she worked at NatWest and ran the Midland Metro advertising concession.

McCall's tenure at ITV is set to close with its sale to a US-owned entity, a conclusion that would have seemed improbable when she joined. The strategic logic she has consistently advanced, that broadcast scale is necessary to compete with Netflix and Disney, is now being enacted. Both Ofcom and the CMA have previously scrutinised media concentration in the UK broadcasting market; the outcome of their review will determine whether the terms agreed on 25 June are approved as structured.