As U.K. public service broadcaster ITV prepares to be swallowed up by Comcast-owned Sky (the pact still needs to clear regulators, which could take up to a year), managing director Kevin Lygo is staying positive.
\n\n“I think everybody understands the logic of it and why it’s such a good idea and a good deal,” said Lygo, speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Wednesday. “But there’s uncertainty, and everybody gets a bit worried about uncertainty.”
\n\nOne of the prime reasons for that uncertainty, Lygo explained, was that as part of the legal process underpinning the deal, neither side can talk about what will happen if and when it finally closes – including what it impact it will have on jobs. “Neither Sky nor us [can] talk about individuals or what the merger will do,” he said.
\n\nUntil the day the deal closes, ITV “will continue as we are now to run our business completely separate from Sky,” Lygo said. With that expected to take up to a year, Lygo said ITV’s commissioning strategy for 2027 and “most of” 2028 would remain unchanged.
\n\nWhen asked whether he thought the deal was likely to slow down commissioning, Lygo sidestepped the question, saying…
Original source: https://variety.com/v/tv/