The Great British Bake Off could move from Channel 4 to ITV after Sky owner Comcast bought the business for a deal worth around £1.6 billion.
Following the deal, broadcast rights for the beloved cooking show are now up in the air, according to reports.
Great British Bake Off could move from Channel 4 to ITV
It comes due to ITV Studios being set to receive Sky’s Love Productions, the creator of Bake Off, as part of the deal.
Channel 4 secured the deal with Love Productions in 2025.
However, it is not clear when that runs until.
The first episode of Bake Off aired in 2010, with its first four series broadcast on BBC Two.
Its growing popularity saw it move to BBC One for the following three series.
After its seventh series, Love Productions signed a three-year deal with Channel 4 to produce the series for the broadcaster.
It has been on Channel 4 since 2017, and a 17th series will air on the channel later this year, but its future beyond that is unknown.
“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”, an insider told The Sun.
Despite this, Channel 4 said that Bake Off is staying on the channel.
A joint statement from Channel 4 and Love Productions said: “Channel 4’s GBBO deal is with Love and as such is unaffected by the Sky ITV deal.
“The show’s existing multi-year agreement with Love remains in place meaning Bake Off fans will be able to continue to enjoy the show on Channel 4 as usual.”
Sky and ITV deal explained
It was announced on Monday (June 7) that ITV had agreed the sale of its media and entertainment arm to Sky for up to £1.6 billion after months of talks over a possible deal.
The companies said the deal will combine the division with Sky to create a major competitor to the global streaming giants.
Sky is taking over ITV’s media and entertainment arm, which covers its terrestrial TV channels ITV1, ITV2, ITV4, ITV Quiz and streaming service ITVX.
Sky will also become an indirect 20% shareholder in the ITN business, which makes news programmes such as Good Morning Britain and News at Ten and regional news for London.
The sale does not include ITV’s production arm, ITV Studios, which will become a standalone business following the sale.
Programmes produced by ITV Studios, like Love Island, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Coronation Street and Emmerdale will be covered in the supply agreement, meaning they will remain on ITV.
Sky will also maintain its current pay-to-view model with an array of shows, including sport and entertainment.
Nevertheless, Sky has committed to spending at least £2.1 billion over 2028-2032 on content from ITV Studios as part of a long-term agreement to air its shows.
The sale also does not include Scottish media group STV, which is a separate company.
ITV’s channels and ITVX will remain as they are and free-to-air, including sport content and in places like Freeview, Freely, and Sky’s platforms.
ITV News and Sky News will also remain distinct editorial voices.
London-based Sky is owned by US media giant Comcast, which also owns NBC and Universal Pictures.
Comcast recently announced plans to split into two companies – one independent Comcast business focusing on telecoms, and a spin-off media operation named NBCUniversal.
Dana Strong, Sky’s group chief executive, said: “Bringing Sky and ITV Media & Entertainment together combines the very best of free-to-air television, pay TV and streaming, ensuring viewers across the UK continue to enjoy outstanding British programming in a rapidly changing world.
“ITV will remain a public service broadcaster at the heart of British life, and we’re excited about the future we can build together.”
She said the takeover was a “defining moment for British media”.
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Andrew Cosslett, the chairman of ITV, said that “at a time of rapid change in the industry, it is right that we now secure ITV’s crucial role as a public service broadcaster” and that the combined business will “create a UK champion with the scale and resources to better compete with global streaming platforms”.
British broadcasters, including ITV, BBC and Channel 4, have developed their streaming platforms in a bid to compete with US giants like Netflix, Amazon and Disney.
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