ITV to show more repeats this Christmas as it cuts content budget by £25m

Updated: 09:41 EST, 11 November 2026 ITV looks set to show more repeats this Christmas after cutting £25million from its content budget.The broadcaster is planning to save £30million over the final three months of the year as advertising revenues dwindle.Around £25million of this will come from ‘content savings’ – such as pushing new shows into next year in a move that will lead to more reruns.Major programmes such as I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! are not affected while ITV soaps such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale and its rugby coverage will also go ahead as planned.But new, smaller shows are likely to be delayed with repeats of daytime quiz shows shown instead. I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! returns to ITV on MondayITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said the group was taking ‘decisive action’ having seen advertising revenues fall 8 per cent in the third quarter of the year.With ad revenues set to be down as much as 10 per cent in the current fourth quarter, analysts said the update underlined why ITV has agreed to sell its media and entertainment division to Sky for £1.6billion.Duncan Ferris, an analyst at Freetrade, said: ‘Ad revenue deterioration was greater than warned, with weakness over the summer perhaps exemplifying why ITV is so keen to offload its TV channels to reduce exposure to the weak TV ad market.‘Advertisers’ budgets are being squeezed by macro factors, and their attention is increasingly shifting to digital platforms, creating a challenging environment for linear telly.‘Further advertising woe is likely an indication the company cannot be shot of its media and entertainment arm soon enough.’The proposed sale of TV channel ITV and streaming platform ITVX to Sky was thrown into doubt last week when Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy intervened and ordered investigations by regulator Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority.In today’s update, McCall described Nandy’s move as ‘an expected and important milestone in the regulatory review process’, adding: ‘We continue to expect completion in the second half of 2027.’ Decisive: ITV chief Dame Carolyn McCallThe deal will leave ITV to concentrate on its Studios arm, which produced five of the UK’s top ten most-watched dramas of the summer, including The Gentleman for Netflix and the latest series of Ludwig and Vigil for the BBC. Shows for ITV include The Blame and I’m A Celebrity.ITV said group-wide revenues in the nine months to the end of September fell 1 per cent to £2.76billion, with media and entertainment down 1 per cent to £1.43billion and ITV Studios also down 1 per cent to £1.33billion.ITV shares were down nearly 4 per cent in afternoon trading.McCall said: ‘Demand for advertising in the second half has weakened.‘This is due to continuing broader macroeconomic uncertainty, increased digital advertising on global streaming platforms and the impact of less healthy food regulations which came into effect on October 1 2025.‘We are taking decisive action, aligning our investment with advertiser demand to deliver additional temporary content and discretionary non-content cost savings in the fourth quarter.’She added: ‘While the outlook for advertising remains muted, we are firmly focused on self-help and mitigating actions.’Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell, said: ‘ITV has no problem showing reruns, but its third-quarter update won’t be one it wants to repeat.‘Both its broadcasting and studios arms suffered from a decline in sales, creating the equivalent of a show no one wants to watch.‘ITV’s sale of its media and entertainment arm, essentially the broadcasting and advertising business, can’t come soon enough.’DIY INVESTING PLATFORMSAJ BellAJ BellEasy investing and ready-made portfoliosHargreaves LansdownHargreaves LansdownFree fund dealing and investment ideasinteractive investorinteractive investorFlat-fee investing from £4.99 per monthFreetradeFreetradeInvesting Isa now free on basic planTrading 212Trading 212Free share dealing and no account feeAffiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.Compare the best investing account for you