LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) - ITV, the British

broadcaster that has agreed to sell its channels and streaming

platform to Comcast's ( CMCSA ) Sky, said on Friday it had a "solid" first

half, with the football World Cup driving 3% growth in

advertising and record viewing figures.

The company, which will be a standalone production business

after the Sky deal, reported flat adjusted operating profit of

£146 million ($196.2 million) for the first half, just shy of

analyst expectations, and said it was on track to meet its

full-year guidance.

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