ITV's Loose Women, GMB, This Morning and Lorraine 'in crisis talks' after ratings slump

Loose Women, Good Morning Britain, This Morning and Lorraine are reportedly in the midst of crisis talks due to a significant drop in viewership. The daytime TV favourites could see pay freezes and potential job cuts as ITV chiefs attempt to manage the financial blow from the decline in ratings.

The network is believed to be implementing severe cost-cutting measures across its most popular programmes. Rumours suggest that staff may be offered shorter three-month contracts over longer-term agreements, and freelance roles might face reductions.

Even the annual ITV summer party, an event where the channel's top talent traditionally unwind together, is under threat of cancellation. Emma Gormley, ITV's head of daytime television, has allegedly conducted meetings to communicate the challenges facing the four main shows, reports the Mirror.

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During these discussions, employees were presented with a graph illustrating their sharp fall in viewership, starkly contrasted with the high numbers enjoyed by streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime. According to a report by The Sun, an insider commented: "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. A lot of staff are being put on three-month contracts, probably so they can get rid of people easily."

They alleged that pay freezes are already being implemented and ITV is attempting to reduce expenses by "not trialling new talent on regular segments". It's been suggested that executives are banking on a ratings boost during the UK election campaign.

The insider described the news as "particularly difficult to stomach" in light of the expensive This Morning revamp.

An ITV spokesperson shared with the Mirror: "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."

They continued: "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."

The new hosts of This Morning, Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, reportedly earned a whopping £550,000 as they stepped into the shoes of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. However, their first month saw a significant drop in ratings from over a million to 692,500. By the end of April, the average live viewership was down to 544,000.