THE Great British Bake Off could move from Channel 4 to ITV following a TV mega merger agreed yesterday.
is selling its media and entertainment business to .
The Great British Bake Off could move from Channel 4 to ITV Credit: Channel 4 / Laura Palmer / Love Productions
From left: GBBO stars Prue Leith, Alison Hammond, Noel Fielding and Paul Hollywood Credit: PA
As part of the deal ITV Studios, a separate business, will receive Sky’s Love Productions, creator of .
Broadcast rights for the cake and scone cooking contest remain in the mix.
struck a deal with Love Productions at the end of 2024 and it’s not clear when that lapses.
A new series of Bake Off — previously on BBC from 2010-16, will air on Channel 4 later this year.
An insider said: “The whole industry is talking about Bake Off moving yet again, which would be a tremendous coup for ITV but bad news for C4 as it is their most-watched show.”
Meanwhile, ITV CEO Dame Carolyn McCall said the “historic and milestone” purchase would lead to more free-to-view sport on ITV.
Chiefs also reassure viewers that the sale would “only be a good thing” for the channel’s traditional viewers and shows including and b.
Director of TV Kevin Lygo said: “The most important thing for us is to make sure we preserve what matters to our viewers in terms of the output.
“So, the famous programmes from Coronation Street to Emmerdale and I’m a Celebrity to Love Island all remain free to air.”
Dame Carolyn and Mr Lygo declined to comment on the prospect of Bake Off coming to ITV when its broadcast deal runs out.
And neither exec commented on the long-term future of big shows such as and The Voice, who have had their broadcast dates pushed back several times.
The deal allows Sky to compete with Netflix, Amazon and YouTube.
But Dame Carolyn also made it clear their commitment to the values of being a public service broadcaster and that ITV’s news production would remain separate from Sky News.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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