Yahoo News How can daytime TV 'in crisis' compete with streaming services?
Baby Reindeer and Clarkson's Farm have been great successes for streaming services
It was recently reported that ITV called had crisis meetings over a rapid decline in ratings, comparing them to the success of Prime Video's Clarkson's Farm and Netflix's Baby Reindeer.
As viewing habits change, can daytime TV compete with the booming interest in the shows that streaming services have to offer?
Lynn Carratt, of Press Box PR, told Yahoo UK: "It’s true viewers consuming their TV shows differently these days and, terrestrial TV channels can’t compete with the ever-swelling viewing figures of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime and with higher production costs and less advertising revenue it is a struggle."
However, the PR expert said she doesn't believe it is the end of daytime TV. She added: "I firmly believe there is still a place for the traditional daytime TV market."
What is the 'daytime TV crisis'?
ITV is a huge brand and is a giant compared to streaming services Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. Its daytime schedule revolves around Good Morning Britain, This Morning, Lorraine and Loose Women.
However, it was first reported in The Sun that the broadcaster was seeing a decline in ratings and was taking action. A source told newspaper: "ITV is really tightening their belt. There have been concerns for months at the top but now that it’s trickled down to the shop floor it feels very depressing."
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It was added: "On screen they are keeping costs down by not trialling new talent on regular segments. There is hope that the viewing figures pick up again as the UK election campaigns kick in again. But it feels particularly difficult to stomach after they splashed out on the re-launch of This Morning."
What did ITV say?
In response to the reports, ITV said they were sharing a "transparent portrayal of what is currently happening across the industry". The broadcaster highlighted that April saw This Morning reach its highest figures for 2024 so far, with Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard at the helm.
An ITV spokesperson said in a statement in full: "Town hall meetings happen frequently for teams to keep up to date with company news and also serve as an opportunity for staff to have questions answered. The latest one was to celebrate the success of Lorraine Kelly receiving a BAFTA Special Recognition Award and the two BAFTA nominations for Daytime last weekend. It was also a transparent portrayal of what is currently happening across the industry.
"As a broadcaster and streamer, ITV has a range of programming in its Daytime schedules. This Morning reached an average 4.2 million viewers a week in April alone, its highest so far in 2024. In 2023 This Morning was one of the most streamed shows on ITVX.
"Like all media, This Morning has expanded into the digital sphere with record breaking results. This Morning remains Britain's most talked about and influential daytime TV show and has never had a better connection with its viewer, with just under 160 million video views of This Morning content and reached 63 million unique social media accounts in April."
What is the future of daytime TV?
PR expert Carratt pointed out that daytime TV declining is nothing new. Last year daytime TV took a hit with ratings and as a result, Channel 4's lunchtime talk show Steph's Packed Lunch as well as long-running BBC soap Doctors were axed.
Carratt told Yahoo: "Daytime TV viewership has been on the decline for some time now."
She added: "Only months ago Ofcom announced the biggest decline in broadcast television viewing (people watching live television) since records began.
"This decline is now not just happening with younger viewers, but also with older viewers, the demographic we mostly associate with daytime television. Given that audiences don’t tend to catch up with daytime shows via streaming sites, this is bad news for their viewing figures."
It appears telly favourites are still being pinched while reality TV continues to boom. However, the PR expert was confident daytime TV would "recover".
She added: "In recent times This Morning has had a rough ride with main hosts Phil Schofield and Holly Willoughby quitting due to personal issues and there has been talk of a toxic work environment, but I firmly believe it can recover. We just need to give Ben and Cat time to bed in. After all the show still cuts through to millions on social media due to it’s viral online clips.
"And it isn’t all bad news for daytime TV, BBC Breakfast and Morning Live continue to perform well, with Morning Live continuing to grow in the ratings."
