ITV plc (ITV.L)
Broadcasters and makers of hit television shows like Love Island, earning their crust through traditional telly ads and streaming apps.
Is ITV plc a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: There's no rating here and nothing for sale. In its favour: Generates substantial cash flows supporting a high dividend yield. Worth weighing: Traditional television advertising is a cyclical and slowly declining market. Below, we lay out what it does, what its numbers mean, and the honest risks, so you can decide for yourself.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
How much has ITV plc actually fallen?
Over the last 2 years of daily prices, ITV plc fell as much as −25% from a high to a later low. Drops of this size are a normal part of owning a share - worth knowing in advance, so a dip doesn't come as a shock.
Worst peak-to-trough fall in the daily closing price over the period we hold. Past falls are not a forecast - it can fall further, or recover.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
successful transformation into a digital-first streaming and global studio powerhouse
failure to monetise digital platforms effectively against global streaming giants
What does ITV plc do?
Advertisers pay to put their products in front of viewers during peak-time telly, while global networks pay to license shows produced by ITV's studios division. These two revenue streams keep the cameras rolling and generate cash that feeds both digital growth and shareholder payouts. The critical watch-point for anyone following the business is how quickly its digital streaming revenue can offset the gradual cooling of traditional linear television viewing.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on value and income, and weakest on momentum.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 6.7% a year
- Value screens high (71/100)
- Generates substantial cash flows supporting a high dividend yield
- Produces popular global content through its large studios arm
- Trading at a low forward earnings multiple relative to the wider market
- Momentum screens low (20/100)
- Economic downturns heavily impact corporate marketing and advertising budgets
- Rapidly shifting consumer habits away from scheduled television broadcasting
- Hit-driven nature of television production can lead to unpredictable earnings
What do ITV plc's numbers mean?
Does ITV plc pay a dividend?
Yes - ITV plc currently pays a dividend of about 6.7% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
What do the numbers say about ITV plc's dividend?
There's no rating here, and we don't judge whether the dividend will continue - that would be advice. Here are the figures income investors usually look at, and what each one means, so you can weigh it up yourself.
Figures are from the latest available data and can be distorted by one-off results. Past payments don't predict future ones, and a dividend can be cut at any time. This lays out the numbers to help you understand them - it is not a view on what will happen.
When does ITV plc report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
ITV plc is next scheduled to report on about 2027-03-04 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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Verizon Communications Inc.What are the scenarios for ITV plc?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of ITV plc?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Generates substantial cash flows supporting a high dividend yield: The yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn from dividends alone.
- Produces popular global content through its large studios arm
- Trading at a low forward earnings multiple relative to the wider market
- Traditional television advertising is a cyclical: A business whose sales and profits rise and fall with the wider economy - booming in good times, sinking in downturns. Miners, carmakers and banks are classic examples. and slowly declining market
- Modest recent top-line revenue growth: How fast the company's sales grew versus a year ago. of just over one percent
- Fierce competition for eyeballs from well-funded global streaming giants
- Economic downturns heavily impact corporate marketing and advertising budgets
- Rapidly shifting consumer habits away from scheduled television broadcasting
- Hit-driven nature of television production can lead to unpredictable earnings
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A sustained acceleration in digital advertising revenue growth
- A sharp, permanent drop in traditional broadcast viewing figures
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-02 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.