This Morning has faced some serious questions about its future in recent weeks. However, ITV has insisted in a statement all is well with its flagship daytime show.
Questions have been raised after the programme underwent a huge shake-up since the exit of main presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
In the interim, the show was handed off to a string of part-time hosts. These included Dermot O’Leary, Alison Hammond, Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle.
Meanwhile, rumours swirled around Phil’s “inappropriate but not illegal” affair with a colleague. Holly then decided to step away from the spotlight.
In March, Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard took over the reigns full-time. However, it seems that after suffering such turbulence, the programme is still feeling the strain.
Future of This Morning hangs in the balance
So, what is next for This Morning? Recent reports have claimed the daytime show has suffered a drop in ratings of 500K since welcoming Ben and Cat to the sofa.
According to The Sun, a source claimed: “Nobody at This Morning thought viewing figures would dip beneath the landmark low of half a million.
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“The arrival of Ben and Cat was supposed to spark a resurgence and hopefully keep the ratings above the million mark. But within a couple of weeks it became apparent they hadn’t done the trick.”
The source added that ratings on “their nemesis Morning Live stayed strong”.
“Now there is a massive question mark lingering over the future of the show as it’s difficult to justify the huge costs of making a live, daily show, especially at a time when ad revenues for linear TV are so low.”
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The future of This Morning on ITV
However, in a statement made to ED!, a representative at ITV has insisted that the programme still has a great connection with viewers.
A spokesperson told us: “This Morning continues to reach over 4 million viewers a week. It remains one of the most streamed programmes on ITVX in 2024.
“The award-winning show has never had a better connection with viewers; with 11 million followers across This Morning social media platforms and almost 130 million video views of This Morning content each month, reaching an average of 62 million unique social media accounts every month.”
Read more: Craig Doyle honours late father’s death as he takes This Morning break
