Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are set to sign a £40 million three-year contract with ITV, which could increase to £50 million if they chose to increase it.
The Sun reported on Saturday that the channel were keen to keep their ‘most prized assets’ by offering them the new deal, after Amazon Prime Video were allegedly interested in taking on the duo for a new show.
A source speaking to the publication claimed: ‘With their current golden handcuffs deal up for renewal, other broadcasters have been sniffing around — most notably Amazon who still have a lot of cash to splash.
Staying on: Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly ‘to sign record £40 million deal with ITV amid fears Amazon Prime were keen to take on the pair for new show’, it was reported on Saturday
‘There was talk of them getting their own series on the streaming giant. ITV are desperate to prevent this and have come in with a new, big, big money, three-year deal.’
The source added: ‘Their current contract is £30million and is now going up to at least £40million — with scope to extend it in length and take the pay up to as high as £50million.’
Ant and Dec front ITV’s hit shows I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Outta Here!, Britain’s Got Talent, and Saturday Night Takeaway, while they also appeared on Ant and Dec’s DNA Journey.
MailOnline have contacted representatives for Ant and Dec, ITV and Amazon Prime Video for comment.
Jumping in: It was reported on Saturday that ITV want to keep their ‘most prized assets’ by offering them the new deal, after Amazon were allegedly interested in taking on the duo
The publication also reported that while Britain’s Got Talent is set to return to ITV in mid-January, judges David Walliams and Amanda Holden have yet to sign their contracts for the new season.
They claimed that Alesha Dixon would be returning for the show, while head judge Simon Cowell has a separate contract with ITV that ensures his involvement on the talent show.
MailOnline have also contacted David, Amanda, Alesha and Simon’s representatives for comment.
The TV duo have shared the stage together for 30 years, and quickly became one of the UK’s most prolific presenters in history.
Hosting duties: Ant and Dec front ITV’s hit shows I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Outta Here!, Britain’s Got Talent, and Saturday Night Takeaway
Ant’s personal issues — which saw him develop a painkiller addiction, end his marriage to Lisa Armstrong and commit a drink-driving offence — meant last year he sat out most of the shows he presented with Dec.
Ant was involved in a three-car collision in Richmond and was discovered to be over the limit behind the wheel.
He pleaded guilty to drink-driving in April and he received a record-breaking £86,000 fine, as well as a 20-month ban from driving.
This comes after ITV was accused of ‘double standards’ after failing to support Caroline Flack following her arrest, despite backing Ant over his drink-drive scandal.
The former Love Island host, 40, stepped down from the hit ITV2 show on Tuesday, as she declared that she didn’t want to ‘detract from the upcoming series’ with her own personal drama, after she was arrested for ‘assault by beating’ on Thursday.
Insiders at ITV are said to be furious that bosses vowed to support Ant in his hour of need, whereas Caroline is reportedly yet to receive as much as a phone call from the broadcaster, The Sun reported.
A source told the website: ‘Ant hit a car carrying a child while drunk and he gets ITV’s full support. Caroline has a row with her boyfriend and she’s axed. It’s a crazy double standard.’
Behind-the-scenes some people apparently believe ITV bosses have failed their duty of care to Caroline, after she said she would be standing down after being charged with assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton, 27.
According to sources, Caroline has apparently hit an all time low after leaving her role as Love Island host for the foreseeable future.