ITV buys Northern Ireland's UTV for £100m

ITV has announced the £100m acquisition of the TV stations and brand owned by UTV, the Northern Irish commercial broadcaster.

The BBC reports that the deal includes a station launched last year in the Republic of Ireland, which is set to make an annual loss of £12m. It brings to an end the 56-year history of the company as an independent broadcaster, which was the first commercial channel in Northern Ireland when it launched in 1959.

The buyout does not include UTV's radio businesses, which provide around 60 per cent of its revenues, including UTV Radio GB and UTV Radio Ireland. These will be retained and rebranded "at a later date". The company's digital media businesses, Simply Zest and Tibus Digital, are also excluded.

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ITV's acquisition "cements its shift in focus from reality television and entertainment producers in the US, to drama and factual programme makers in the UK", say the Daily Telegraph. It adds that, if approved, ITV will own 13 of the 15 regional licences for the channel 3 network across the UK.

The deal is subject to approval from regulator Ofcom and Irish competition authorities.