ITV has confirmed it is "actively exploring" the acquisition of All3Media, the producer of Gogglebox and The Traitors.
The London-headquartered company is the parent of Liverpool-based Lime Pictures, which is behind Hollyoaks, The Only Way is Essex and Geordie Shore.
The confirmation comes after a report by Reuters that ITV was considering a move to snap up the production firm from current joint owners Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global to potentially combine it with its ITV Studios arm.
