ITV Studios informed UK producers this week that it will reduce the number of fully funded domestic dramas in its 2027 slate, shifting spend toward co-productions with global streamers that share copyright and multi-territory windows.
The commissioning shift
In a briefing to indies, executives said roughly one-third of previously “100% ITV Studios” drama hours will move to hybrid models where a U.S. or European platform tops up budgets in exchange for longer exclusive periods outside the UK. ITV broadcast windows for the UK remain protected in those deals, but backend participation for British writers and producers is often traded for higher upfront licence fees.
The company framed the change as a response to inflation in studio hire and visual-effects costs, and to advertiser caution on linear schedules. ITV’s ad-funded channels still need signature Sunday-night drama, but the studio arm— which sells internationally—needs shows that travel.
What co-production buys—and costs
Co-production can lift production values: longer shoots, more location days, and visual-effects blocks that UK-only budgets struggled to carry after the 2023–25 cost spike. It also imports notes on episode length, content standards, and release cadence that do not always match British editing rooms.
Producers who attended the briefing said “creative control” clauses now vary by partner. Some streamers require approval on casting for roles marketed globally; others accept ITV Studios as showrunner employer of record while holding final cut on international cuts.
Workforce and regional spend
Trade bodies warned that fewer fully British greenlights can shrink training slots for junior editors and location managers outside London. ITV Studios reiterated commitments to regional hubs in Manchester and Leeds, but those hubs increasingly service co-productions where a foreign partner’s tax incentive dictates shoot weeks abroad.
Union representatives asked for transparency on minimum staffing levels when budgets are topped up offshore. The studio said UK employment law still governs on-set hires even when a U.S. entity holds distribution rights.
Public service context
Ofcom’s periodic reviews of ITV’s public service obligations focus on hours of new UK content on the main channel, not on how the studio arm finances exports. Politicians have pressed broadcasters to keep British stories on British screens; the counter from studios is that without international partners, some stories will not be made at all.
Indies seeking fully UK-funded slots were told to pitch formats with clear returnable series architecture—limited series are harder to place without a global partner. Decisions on which projects move forward are expected before the autumn programme unveil, when ITV will pair broadcast premieres with streaming window announcements.
Writers’ agents said the briefing included worked examples of revenue waterfalls when a U.S. partner takes non-UK streaming rights for five years while ITV keeps broadcast and catch-up. Those models can front-load cash for production but reduce long-tail syndication income for British rights holders—a trade some indies accept to keep crews employed through winter.
