ITV has hit back at news claims it’s purging jobs amid a huge ratings dip – leaving some popular stars’ jobs in jeopardy.
Sources had claimed the channel was in “panic station time” over some of its popular shows including Good Morning Britain.
A report claimed the broadcaster was focusing on keeping backroom jobs safe and in turn, putting presenters at risk, including the Loose Women panellists amid the programme’s “diversity drive”. However, the broadcaster has denied such claims and implied that the channel isn’t suffering a demise.
So, what does this mean for our favourite presenters?
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ITV news
As published in The Sun, the broadcaster was supposedly facing a major rejig. A source said: “It’s panic station time. The presenters’ contracts are under major review when they come to expire — normally in August or September — and further cuts have been warned of.”
Apparently, big names who were on 12-month contracts were also at risk and in “the firing line”. This was said to have included GMB’s Adil Ray and This Morning favourite, Dermot O’Leary.
However, the source continued: “Dermot polls really well with viewers and absolutely no one wants him to go anywhere. So he’ll be safe.”
The publication alleged that staff were also apparently being sent daily “heat maps”, indicating ratings and which shows had lost viewers.
ITV’s Daytime shows have never had a better connection with viewers reaching 7.5 million weekly.
The insider added: “A few of the Loose Women panel are worried too, as so many new faces have been brought in and some have worked better than others.”
But, ITV has since denied the claims.
ITV statement
ITV advised us that the reported claims are untrue. An ITV spokesperson said: “This isn’t true. ITV’s Daytime shows have never had a better connection with viewers reaching 7.5 million weekly.
“They are amongst the most popular on ITVX and reach millions more across digital platforms. Furthermore, we are very proud of our teams, both on and off screen, who produce seven and half hours of brilliant live content every weekday.”
It comes after claims that This Morning’s viewership was on the floor. According to reports, in Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley’s first month on This Morning as main hosts, viewing figures fell from over a million to 692,500. Two months later, viewing figures had reportedly fallen even further to 635,000.
However, ITV argued that This Morning was viewed on average 840,000 times a day in April. Although, this includes viewings on ITVX and ITV+1.
Read more: This Morning host Cat Deeley under fire for ‘unnecessary’ remark in fashion segment
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