Adds CEO comments throughout, shares in paragraph 5
ITV actively engaged in talks to sell broadcast unit to Sky
ITV shares rise 4% after 2025 profit beats expectations
ITV Studios focuses on organic growth and strategic deals
By Paul Sandle
LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - ITV ITV.L is still "actively engaged" in talks to sell its broadcast unit to Sky, Chief Executive Carolyn McCall said, adding that an early leak about the deal was not that long ago.
ITV said in November it was in discussions to sell its Media and Entertainment unit to Sky, owned by U.S. company Comcast CMCSA.O, for 1.6 billion pounds ($2.14 billion).
Three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters last month that talks had slowed as the battle to buy Warner Bros. Discovery disrupted the industry.
"We are actively engaged, and we can't say any more than that," McCall told reporters. "The leak was November, it's not that long ago."
Shares in ITV were trading up 4% after its 2025 operating profit beat expectations and it said it was seeing strong interest from advertisers in the soccer World Cup this summer.
RIVAL STUDIOS MERGE
Two of ITV's production rivals - Banijay and All3Media - announced they would merge on Tuesday. ITV has previously looked at deals with both, according to reports.
McCall said the deal did not increase pressure on ITV Studios, saying she was "very confident in the scale and diversified aspect of our business".
She said ITV Studios was leading in unscripted formats and it had also increased its scripted output, which now accounted for 30% of its portfolio.
She said her strategy for Studios was to grow organically as well as looking at deals to fill gaps in its portfolio.
"We are very, very disciplined about what we do," she said. "Financially we are very disciplined and from a governance point of view we are very disciplined."
She was also positive about the demand from the United States after Paramount Skydance beat Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.
"We have good relationships with all of the American players," she said. "Paramount, now that they have stability in terms of their ownership and they are ambitious, have actually opened up the business in a way they weren't open before in terms of commissioning us."
ITV reported a 1% decline in 2025 operating profit to 534 million pounds, and said advertising in the first quarter, which would be down about 2%, was better than expected.
About 100 advertisers were talking to ITV about the World Cup, McCall said. "The momentum there is very, very strong."
($1 = 0.7491 pounds)
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Sarah Young, Kirsten Donovan)
((paul.sandle@thomsonreuters.com; +44 20 7542 6843; Reuters Messaging: paul.sandle.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net/))
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