ITV warns it is in ‘worst ad recession since financial crisis’

Broadcaster’s earnings more than halve in first half but studios business performs strongly

ITV has warned it is in the midst of the worst advertising downturn since the 2008 financial crisis.

The broadcaster, which is behind hit shows including Love Island and I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, said earnings more than halved in the first six months of the year, as it came up against a “very tough” advertising market and as it invested in its ITVX online streaming service.

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Phillip Schofield quits ITV after admitting affair with This Morning colleague

Presenter parts from agents and says he lied about affair with younger employee while he was married

Phillip Schofield has sensationally quit ITV and admitted to an affair with a younger male colleague at This Morning while he was still married.

The 61-year-old – who stepped down from presenting the daytime TV programme last Saturday – said the “consensual on-off relationship” was “unwise, but not illegal”.

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Sky could lose £150m a year from plan to relax ad limits on UK’s free-to-air TV

Ofcom reviews longstanding rules that allow pay-TV companies more ad minutes than public service rivals

The pay-TV provider Sky could lose as much as £150m a year in TV advertising revenue from proposals aimed at enabling the UK’s biggest free-to-air broadcasters to make more money and better compete with streaming services.

The broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, is reviewing historical rules that restrict the UK’s public service broadcasters (PSBs) – ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – from running as many minutes of advertising on their main channels as rivals such as Sky are allowed.

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