ITV's media and entertainment branch will be taken over by Sky, creating one of the biggest commercial broadcaster's in the UK, but this is what it means for viewers16:59, 06 Jul 2026It’s been expected for many months and now one of the most significant media deals in decades has been finalised - Sky is buying ITV’s media and entertainment business to create the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster.Having splurged £1.6bn, Sky’s American owner Comcast will now add ITV to its portfolio. So what does that mean for Coronation Street, Emmerdale, I’m a Celebrity, Love Island and all the rest of ITV’s hit shows? Well, the good news is, no big changes are expected in the foreseeable future.If the sale gets the go-ahead from Ofcom, the new super-strength company should have significant extra power.‌The idea is that it can benefit from economies of scale without changing the offerings that either service provides for viewers. Together, they’ll have more clout in the global media economy they now find themselves in and all the costs can be spread more effectively across the bigger business.This could even bring about more new programmes if commissioning budgets are given a boost - Sky insists that the deal will secure ITV’s future rather than make it disappear or see it swallowed up by the subscription service.The thinking behind the deal to bring both companies together is that it will give them more might in a TV landscape that has shifted hugely in recent years.‌Production costs have soared while advertising growth has stalled, and traditional TV companies now find themselves in direct competition from the global streamers like Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Apple, who have extremely deep pockets.Sky and ITV believe that joining forces is the best way to compete going forward.The promise - at least for now - is that all of ITV's channels and ITVX will remain free-to-air, which means Corrie and Emmerdale are going nowhere. Also, all of the public service broadcasting obligations remain in place, which means all the regional news services are safe.ITV is legally required to remain a free-to-air broadcaster until at least 2034 - eight years away - so that means no favourite shows will be heading behind a paywall any time soon.‌Sky has also committed to only showing original programming in the 6pm to 9.30pm evening slot going forwards - which means no repeats in primetime. This could even mean things actually get better for ITV viewers - Sky has promised greater investment which could bring more sport to free-to-air television than ever before and see more drama and other programming genres getting a boost.So don’t panic. Yes, the Americans are in charge. But for now it’s all fine, and it could even be a much-needed shot in the arm.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌