LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's ITV (LON:ITV) is no longer "actively exploring" the possible acquisition of All3Media, the broadcaster and entertainment company said on Friday.
ITV said, however, it continued to monitor All3Media, the production company behind the popular "Midsomer Murders" and "Fleabag", whose current owners are Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global (NASDAQ:LBTYA).
"ITV assesses all potential value-creating M&A opportunities against its strict financial criteria and disciplined capital allocation framework," Britain's biggest free-to-air commercial broadcaster said in a statement.
The potential tie-up between ITV and All3Media was first reported by Reuters in June. One option for ITV would have been buying Warner Brothers' stake, a source had said.
ITV has grown its production unit ITV Studios, which produces "Love Island", to offset more volatile revenue from its advertising-dependent TV channels and streaming service.
Citi analysts said that while buying All3Media would have made sense for ITV, it would also have pushed up debt to "an uncomfortably high level" in a year of peak investment.
"This doesn't mean that further M&A in content production at a later date might not make sense, but overall we think it is sensible for ITV to keep its powder dry for now," they said.
Shares in ITV have lost 16% of their value in the last three months. They were flat in early trade on Friday.
Liberty Global is a long-term shareholder in ITV, with a near 9.9% holding.