Lord Alan Sugar, a prominent figure from the TV show “The Apprentice,” raised concerns about ITV’s premium streaming service, ITVX, calling attention to what he labeled as a “sneaky” advertising practice. He urged regulators to look into the matter.

The businessman, widely recognized for his role in “The Apprentice” and his ownership of Tottenham Hotspur, expressed his frustration with ITVX’s advertising policy on social media. Lord Sugar, also known as Baron Sugar of Clapton, highlighted that despite subscribing to ITVX and agreeing to pay a monthly fee to avoid ads, the service still displayed promos for its own programs during shows.

In response to Lord Sugar’s criticism, ITV explained that licensing restrictions compelled them to feature promos on some programs within ITVX Premium. However, they assured users that standard ads were removed. ITV acknowledged the frustration caused by this practice and invited further discussion through direct messaging.

ITVX, launched in 2022, was recently acquired by Sky in a significant £1.6 billion deal, encompassing the broadcasting and streaming divisions of the UK’s oldest commercial TV company. The outcome of Lord Sugar’s call for an investigation by Ofcom remains uncertain, despite his positive remarks about an ITV program he watched. He reiterated his dissatisfaction with the presence of ads and promos on ITVX, even for paying subscribers.