ITV, RedBird IMI in early-stage talks to merge production businesses

ITV has held early talks with the Abu Dhabi-backed investment group RedBird IMI, led by CEO Jeff Zucker, about a potential merger of their production businesses, according to Reuters.

Citing two people with “knowledge of the situation,” Reuters claims that the discussions have centered on merging ITV Studios with All3Media, which RedBird IMI acquired for $1.43 billion last year.

The sources – who spoke on condition of anonymity – said one route would be for ITV to merge Studios with All3Media, with both RedBird IMI and ITV holding stakes in the new entity. However, they said the talks were still at an early stage and “may not lead to any transaction.”

A sell off of ITV Studios – which in 2023 made up just over half of ITV’s total group revenues – has been rumored for some time, with Mediawan and All3Media understood to be the key parties interested. MSN