Entertainment

STV lifts stake in Blue Lights maker Two Cities to 75%

Putri ArdhanaPublished 2d ago2 min readBased on 9 sources
STV lifts stake in Blue Lights maker Two Cities to 75%
Photo by Stephen Sweeney / CC BY-SA 2.0

STV Studios has increased its stake in Two Cities Television from 51% to 75%.

The change was recorded in a Companies House filing, the UK's public register of companies, and confirmed by STV. Deadline reported the uplift on 17 September 2026. A stake increase of this kind means buying extra shares from existing owners rather than starting a new business.

It is the third stage of a relationship that began in January 2020. STV Group first bought a 25% minority stake, meaning a share of less than half with no overall control. It then moved to a 51% majority holding in early 2024, meaning ownership of more than half and control of the company. The latest filing takes that holding to three-quarters. The company is listed as Two Cities Television Limited, company number 09928703, on the public filing history.

Two Cities Television is a high-end drama producer. That label covers big-budget scripted series made for major broadcasters and streaming platforms. STV uses the same description for the business. The company is based in Belfast and run by Michael Jackson and Stephen Wright.

A producer develops an idea, hires the writers, directors and crew, and delivers the finished programme. Two Cities' credits include Patrick Melrose and Blue Lights. Both titles were named by STV when it confirmed the latest share change.

Its order book includes a new six-part series for Channel 4 titled Army of Shadows. Six-part means one story told across six episodes. At the time of STV's full-year results to 31 December 2023, Two Cities had £55m of future revenues secured. STV Group reported the figure as contracted income from shows already ordered.

For viewers, this kind of deal sits off screen. It does not change an episode already broadcast. It shapes what gets developed next, who employs the writers' room and crew through a production, and who shares in income if a programme sells to other countries. A larger stake gives STV a bigger say in those calls and a larger share of any return.

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