diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
index 9cf3a0856b..3f982d22d5 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/cli.ts
@@ -179,6 +179,8 @@ async function mergeReports(reportDir: string | undefined, opts: { [key: string]
   const configLoader = new ConfigLoader();
   const config = await (configFile ? configLoader.loadConfigFile(configFile) : configLoader.loadEmptyConfig(process.cwd()));
   const dir = path.resolve(process.cwd(), reportDir || 'playwright-report');
+  if (!(await fs.promises.stat(dir)).isDirectory())
+    throw new Error('Directory does not exist: ' + dir);
   await createMergedReport(config, dir, opts.reporter || 'list');
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/DEPS.list b/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/DEPS.list
index f2b0f3c999..4f7cb588dd 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/DEPS.list
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/DEPS.list
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@
 ../utilsBundle.ts
 
 [blob.ts]
-../runner/loadUtils.ts
+../runner/reporters.ts
diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/blob.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/blob.ts
index 8c90548d56..e303b524c2 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/blob.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/reporters/blob.ts
@@ -16,25 +16,18 @@
 
 import type { EventEmitter } from 'events';
 import fs from 'fs';
-import path from 'path';
 import os from 'os';
+import path from 'path';
 import { ManualPromise, ZipFile, calculateSha1, removeFolders } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 import { mime } from 'playwright-core/lib/utilsBundle';
 import { yazl } from 'playwright-core/lib/zipBundle';
 import { Readable } from 'stream';
-import type { FullConfig, FullResult, Reporter, TestResult } from '../../types/testReporter';
-import type { BuiltInReporter, FullConfigInternal } from '../common/config';
+import type { FullConfig, FullResult, TestResult } from '../../types/testReporter';
+import type { FullConfigInternal } from '../common/config';
 import type { Suite } from '../common/test';
 import { TeleReporterReceiver, type JsonEvent, type JsonProject, type JsonSuite, type JsonTestResultEnd } from '../isomorphic/teleReceiver';
-import DotReporter from '../reporters/dot';
-import EmptyReporter from '../reporters/empty';
-import GitHubReporter from '../reporters/github';
-import JSONReporter from '../reporters/json';
-import JUnitReporter from '../reporters/junit';
-import LineReporter from '../reporters/line';
-import ListReporter from '../reporters/list';
-import { loadReporter } from '../runner/loadUtils';
-import HtmlReporter, { defaultReportFolder } from './html';
+import { createReporters } from '../runner/reporters';
+import { defaultReportFolder } from './html';
 import { TeleReporterEmitter } from './teleEmitter';
 
 
@@ -120,40 +113,15 @@ export async function createMergedReport(config: FullConfigInternal, dir: string
     const events = mergeEvents(shardReports);
     patchAttachmentPaths(events, resourceDir);
 
-    const defaultReporters: {[key in BuiltInReporter]: new(arg: any) => Reporter} = {
-      dot: DotReporter,
-      line: LineReporter,
-      list: ListReporter,
-      github: GitHubReporter,
-      json: JSONReporter,
-      junit: JUnitReporter,
-      null: EmptyReporter,
-      html: HtmlReporter,
-      blob: BlobReporter,
-    };
     reporterName ??= 'list';
 
-    const arg = config.config.reporter.find(([reporter, arg]) => reporter === reporterName)?.[1];
-    const options = {
-      ...arg,
-      configDir: process.cwd(),
-    };
-
-    let reporter: Reporter | undefined;
-    if (reporterName in defaultReporters) {
-      reporter = new defaultReporters[reporterName as keyof typeof defaultReporters](options);
-    } else {
-      const reporterConstructor = await loadReporter(config, reporterName);
-      reporter = new reporterConstructor(options);
-    }
-
-    const receiver = new TeleReporterReceiver(path.sep, reporter);
+    const reporters = await createReporters(config, 'merge', [reporterName]);
+    const receiver = new TeleReporterReceiver(path.sep, reporters[0]);
     for (const event of events)
       await receiver.dispatch(event);
   } finally {
     await removeFolders([resourceDir]);
   }
-  console.log(`Done.`);
 }
 
 async function extractReports(dir: string, shardFiles: string[], resourceDir: string): Promise<string[]> {
diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/reporters.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/reporters.ts
index 578a98cbc1..a4bb24e59e 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/reporters.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/reporters.ts
@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@ import JSONReporter from '../reporters/json';
 import JUnitReporter from '../reporters/junit';
 import LineReporter from '../reporters/line';
 import ListReporter from '../reporters/list';
-import { Multiplexer } from '../reporters/multiplexer';
 import type { Suite } from '../common/test';
 import type { BuiltInReporter, FullConfigInternal } from '../common/config';
 import { loadReporter } from './loadUtils';
 import { BlobReporter } from '../reporters/blob';
+import type { ReporterDescription } from '../../types/test';
 
-export async function createReporter(config: FullConfigInternal, mode: 'list' | 'run' | 'ui', additionalReporters: Reporter[] = []): Promise<Multiplexer> {
+export async function createReporters(config: FullConfigInternal, mode: 'list' | 'run' | 'ui' | 'merge', reporterNames?: string[]): Promise<Reporter[]> {
   const defaultReporters: {[key in BuiltInReporter]: new(arg: any) => Reporter} = {
     dot: mode === 'list' ? ListModeReporter : DotReporter,
     line: mode === 'list' ? ListModeReporter : LineReporter,
@@ -44,7 +44,10 @@ export async function createReporter(config: FullConfigInternal, mode: 'list' |
     blob: BlobReporter,
   };
   const reporters: Reporter[] = [];
-  for (const r of config.config.reporter) {
+  const descriptions: ReporterDescription[] = reporterNames ?
+    reporterNames.map(name => [name, config.config.reporter.find(([reporterName]) => reporterName === name)]) :
+    config.config.reporter;
+  for (const r of descriptions) {
     const [name, arg] = r;
     const options = { ...arg, configDir: config.configDir };
     if (name in defaultReporters) {
@@ -54,7 +57,6 @@ export async function createReporter(config: FullConfigInternal, mode: 'list' |
       reporters.push(new reporterConstructor(options));
     }
   }
-  reporters.push(...additionalReporters);
   if (process.env.PW_TEST_REPORTER) {
     const reporterConstructor = await loadReporter(config, process.env.PW_TEST_REPORTER);
     reporters.push(new reporterConstructor());
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ export async function createReporter(config: FullConfigInternal, mode: 'list' |
     const prints = r.printsToStdio ? r.printsToStdio() : true;
     return prints;
   });
-  if (reporters.length && !someReporterPrintsToStdio) {
+  if (reporters.length && !someReporterPrintsToStdio && mode !== 'merge') {
     // Add a line/dot/list-mode reporter for convenience.
     // Important to put it first, jsut in case some other reporter stalls onEnd.
     if (mode === 'list')
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ export async function createReporter(config: FullConfigInternal, mode: 'list' |
     else
       reporters.unshift(!process.env.CI ? new LineReporter({ omitFailures: true }) : new DotReporter());
   }
-  return new Multiplexer(reporters);
+  return reporters;
 }
 
 export class ListModeReporter implements Reporter {
diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/runner.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/runner.ts
index a8647eae27..c1e6ff914e 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/runner.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/runner.ts
@@ -19,12 +19,13 @@ import { monotonicTime } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 import type { FullResult } from '../../types/testReporter';
 import { webServerPluginsForConfig } from '../plugins/webServerPlugin';
 import { collectFilesForProject, filterProjects } from './projectUtils';
-import { createReporter } from './reporters';
+import { createReporters } from './reporters';
 import { TestRun, createTaskRunner, createTaskRunnerForList } from './tasks';
 import type { FullConfigInternal } from '../common/config';
 import { colors } from 'playwright-core/lib/utilsBundle';
 import { runWatchModeLoop } from './watchMode';
 import { runUIMode } from './uiMode';
+import { Multiplexer } from '../reporters/multiplexer';
 
 export class Runner {
   private _config: FullConfigInternal;
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ export class Runner {
     // Legacy webServer support.
     webServerPluginsForConfig(config).forEach(p => config.plugins.push({ factory: p }));
 
-    const reporter = await createReporter(config, listOnly ? 'list' : 'run');
+    const reporter = new Multiplexer(await createReporters(config, listOnly ? 'list' : 'run'));
     const taskRunner = listOnly ? createTaskRunnerForList(config, reporter, 'in-process')
       : createTaskRunner(config, reporter);
 
diff --git a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts
index 40e115e468..96dbdb5096 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-test/src/runner/uiMode.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import { clearCompilationCache, collectAffectedTestFiles, dependenciesForTestFil
 import type { FullConfigInternal } from '../common/config';
 import { Multiplexer } from '../reporters/multiplexer';
 import { TeleReporterEmitter } from '../reporters/teleEmitter';
-import { createReporter } from './reporters';
+import { createReporters } from './reporters';
 import { TestRun, createTaskRunnerForList, createTaskRunnerForWatch, createTaskRunnerForWatchSetup } from './tasks';
 import { chokidar } from '../utilsBundle';
 import type { FSWatcher } from 'chokidar';
@@ -167,8 +167,9 @@ class UIMode {
     this._config.cliListOnly = false;
     this._config.testIdMatcher = id => !testIdSet || testIdSet.has(id);
 
-    const runReporter = new TeleReporterEmitter(e => this._dispatchEvent(e));
-    const reporter = await createReporter(this._config, 'ui', [runReporter]);
+    const reporters = await createReporters(this._config, 'ui');
+    reporters.push(new TeleReporterEmitter(e => this._dispatchEvent(e)));
+    const reporter = new Multiplexer(reporters);
     const taskRunner = createTaskRunnerForWatch(this._config, reporter);
     const testRun = new TestRun(this._config, reporter);
     clearCompilationCache();