ITV Studios

[laughs]

So ITV Studios, the Nine Network, which is the network that Love Island is on in Australia-

Mm-hmm

... or Love Island Australia, has not responded to any comment just yet.

I thought it was on Peacock.

ITV Studios and Group M [sighs] Motion Entertainment.

Yeah, 'cause these are the big, um, studios that, like-

Oh

Well, it, it doesn't have the biggest budget, so to some extent it's not ...

You know, if you're a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV- And you're part of ITV Studios, and you're making dramas for the ITV network.

Your budgets are significantly bigger than if you are making factual for the BBC Scotland channel.

That said, the indie sector is in a very, very perilous position just now in Scotland, and losing another supply chain, if you like, using, losing another budget.

I have never seen a bigger backlash in my life since the 2024 documentary Shipwrecked by Philip Schofield about his sort of banishment from the British celebrity into the wilderness.

That was released on ITV, produced by ITV Studios, I believe, in an attempt to sort of reconcile with the loss he had experienced as a result of the salubrious, shall I say, revelations that resulted in his job loss and, of course, receding into the public life wilderness and a massive

fall from grace.

Can I share my favourite memory from that? Yes, you can, of course.

Sky own Love Productions.

They are currently in the process of selling it, um, to ITV Studios, uh, which is why if you're ever gonna have a lawsuit-

Now's the time to do it

... now's, now's a great time to do it 'cause then people say-

I think that's why all credit to people like him because I think – The ability to compete is becoming smaller and smaller.

You look at ITV Studios.

ITV Studios, I believe, if I'm wrong, is going to become a public self-contained company on the market.

It will do brilliantly.

And why will it do brilliantly? Because it's going to be the biggest sweetheart deal in history.

And that's what the independents are contending with.

I mean, you know, ITV Studios is not an independent, although it's being portrayed as one.

So about 5% of all programming by TV is made by TV studios or TV studio-owned companies.

So the company now works with major sporting organisations around the world.

You've recently expanded into entertainment through partnerships, including the likes of ITV Studios.

Products connected to television programmes are a completely different market from football fans.

What opportunities does this create?