Emmerdale and Coronation Street’s future confirmed as ITV sells to Sky
ITV has sold its media and entertainment business to Sky for up to £1.6billion in a deal
The future of Coronation Street and Emmerdale has been secured following confirmation that Sky has acquired ITV. Earlier this week, it emerged that ITV has sold its media and entertainment division to Sky for as much as £1.6billion. The agreement encompasses the ITVX platform alongside ITV’s free-to-air channels.
ITV’s production division – which creates programmes including Love Island and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! – has been excluded from the transaction. The strategic move is designed to establish a UK-centred streaming powerhouse capable of competing with American platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. But what are the implications for the soaps?, reports the Daily Star.
Corrie and Emmerdale’s future has been revealed (Image: Publicity Picture)
Viewers have already witnessed a significant soap overhaul from the beginning of the year, when Coronation Street episodes were reduced. ITV trimmed the programme by one episode weekly and shortened all episodes to 30 minutes. On Monday (July 6) Good Morning Britain correspondent Richard Arnold clarified the situation. He said: “All the t’s need to be crossed and the i’s need to be dotted.
“But the important thing for you guys watching at home is it’s business as normal. All your favourites – Corrie, Emmerdale, the faces you wake up to every morning on Good Morning Britain – nothing’s going to change.”
Meanwhile discussing the transaction, pending shareholder and regulatory clearance, Dana Strong, Sky’s group chief executive, said: “Bringing Sky and ITV Media and Entertainment together combines the very best of free-to-air television, pay TV and streaming.
Sky has bought ITV (Image: PA)
“Ensuring viewers across the UK continue to enjoy outstanding British programming in a rapidly changing world.
“ITV will remain a public service broadcaster at the heart of British life, and we’re excited about the future we can build together.”
Sky Group also stated: “The UK media market is undergoing a profound and rapid transformation, and as competition for audiences intensifies, scale matters more than ever in order to compete with global streaming giants and YouTube in the UK.
“Viewers will continue to enjoy the shows they know and love, such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Love Island, I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! , This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine and News at Ten – alongside major live sporting events,” Sky added.
Emmerdale airs Monday to Friday at 8:00pm on ITV1 and ITVX
