Ant & Dec 'could make £10m from company sale'

Ant & Dec could reportedly make £10 million by selling their production company to ITV.

According to The Sun, the duo have been holding secret talks "for months" with the broadcaster about the sale of Gallowgate Productions.

The company holds the rights to shows such as Saturday Night Takeaway, Push The Button and Byker Grove, in which the pair first rose to fame.

TV executives have apparently valued the company at the £10m figure - as long as Ant & Dec remain attached to it.

"The rights to the shows alone are worth a decent whack," one industry member told the paper. "But if you can tie Ant & Dec in, that raises the value and makes it a very tempting sale."

A source said: "This deal has been talked about for months. Buying Gallowgate would give ITV a tighter control of their big shows.

"Push The Button has established itself as a decent Saturday show so it would make sense for ITV to own it. Likewise Gallowgate owns Saturday Night Takeaway, which the lads have said will come back."

While Gallowgate declined to comment on the report, an ITV spokesman added: "Our focus is on improving the creative output of ITV. We have also been clear that we want to develop our international footprint and we will look at opportunities to invest in that area."

Ant & Dec will host Britain's Got Talent which returns to ITV1 on Saturday, April 16.