British TV’s dynamic duo, Ant and Dec, could reportedly land an eye-watering deal with ITV as their contract comes to an end.
From their rise to fame on Byker Grove in the 90s to their complete domination of the reality TV scene from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here to Saturday Night Takeaway – Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, both 49, have become staples on our screens.
The charismatic pair have scooped up several Bafta awards, and hold a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive National Television Awards (NTAs) for Best Presenter won by an individual or duo (they won their 23rd last year).
All this to say that it’s no surprise ITV is reportedly hoping to broker a rare-than-rare ‘golden handcuffs’ deal totalling £30,000,000 to anchor them in place for another three years as competitors eye them up.
The rumoured deal, which would coincide with their 50th birthdays happening between September and November, would also extend their roles in hit shows like Britain’s Got Talent and Limitless Wins.
A TV insider told The Sun: ‘This is one of the last golden handcuff deals in television, but ITV see Ant and Dec as a worthwhile investment.
‘They’re still loved by the public and front some of the channel’s biggest and most successful shows. The timing could not be any better as they prepare to turn 50. Now they have double the reason to celebrate.’
The source claimed it is in a bid to counteract the shifting tide in streaming TV towards light entertainment, which is bringing former ITV talent along the way.
In recent months, Netflix has launched the already-cancelled Celebrity Bear Hunt (compared to the jungle by critics) helmed by former This Morning star Holly Willoughby and BGT’s Amanda Holden, who hosted Cheat: Unfinished Business.
Meanwhile, The Voice’s Emma Willis has had somewhat more success as she returns to front season two of Love Is Blind UK.
After over two decades with the network, there’s no doubting the TV stars have a lot of praise for ITV.
Their last contract was renewed in January 2023 as they celebrated 25 years.
At the time, Kevin Lygo, Managing Director for Media and Entertainment at ITV, said: The world of television and streaming is always a much brighter place with Ant & Dec at the centre of it…’
‘We’re so lucky to host the best entertainment shows in the world. We absolutely love our shows and we are both extremely happy and very excited to extend our relationship with ITV for another 3 years,’ Ant added.
Ant and Dec have been coy about exactly what’s in the pipeline for the, saying on This Morning in January: ‘We’ll be spending a lot more time developing things for us and for other people. I don’t want to give too much away because there are definitely certain things…’
In the same chat, former SM:TV co-star Cat Deeley let slip that they had been discussing ‘maybe bringing back a Saturday morning kids’ show’ so that may be still on the cards if Ant and Dec stick around.
Metro has reached out to ITV for comment.
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