ITV blames fall in advertising income on actors’ strikes

ITV suffered a fall in revenues in the first quarter as last year’s strikes by Hollywood actors and writers offset a return to advertising growth.

Revenue fell 16pc in the first three months of the year to £382m. Bosses forecast a further decline in the second quarter, but said there was a strong pipeline of shows on their way.

ITV has warned that the strikes will push £80m of this year’s revenues into 2025. It overshadowed a return to advertising growth for ITV, for which revenue rose 3pc in the first quarter, driven by a strong performance by its ITVX streaming service.

It expects to deliver around £40m of savings this year. ITV’S overall revenue fell 7pc to £887m in the first quarter. Shares rose 2pc.