It has been reported that some of the big names at ITV’s This Morning, Good Morning Britain and Loose Women are starting to “panic” as huge cuts across the broadcaster are putting their jobs at risk.
ITV recently announced that 200 jobs are due to be cut in their plan to save £50 million per year, with those working on the big-name morning shows allegedly having their salaries frozen.
Newest This Morning recruits Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard reportedly bag a salary of £550,000 each after taking over from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, with Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid taking home £1.1 million per year.
The cuts come after the network reportedly saw a drop in viewing figures, with sources claiming that several of the big names in the network are due to have their contracts reviewed in a couple of months.
Whilst Deeley and Shephard are holding down the fort at This Morning, it is also believed that Good Morning Britain is currently undergoing a huge revamp in a bid to draw in more viewers.
The Loose Women panel are also reported to be at risk as ITV looks to save cash, looking a backroom job positions too.
This Morning staff are said to be in a “panic” over staff cuts
ITV
A source claimed that ITV editors are frequently sending staff “heat map” bulletins, which highlight where they have lost their viewers and where they are looking to freshen up the shows.
According to The Sun, the source said: “Dermot polls really well with viewers and absolutely no one wants him to go anywhere. 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.
The source went on to describe Good Morning Britain, ITV’s flagship news programme as “pretty frenetic”.
A spokesperson for ITV said of the claims previously: “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 Loose Women panel are also said to be worried
ITV
“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.”
In a new statement regarding the “panic” reports, an ITV spokesperson has rubbished the reports, telling GB News: “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.”
News of the rating figures comes as Phillip Schofield made a rare appearance on social media a year after his This Morning exit.
Good Morning Britain are said to be undergoing a huge shake-up
ITV
His first subtle return to social media came on May 25 when he shared a snap of his dog, Alfie, hiding his socks, and followed up with some snaps of Alfie sleeping and going for a swim.
Today, he appeared in some of the snaps with Alfie who could be seen rummaging around in mud, with Schofield showing a full-length snap of himself covered in mud from his messy pooch.
Whilst sharing the sweet moments, Schofield left his face out of the picture, but it still marked his reintroduction to social media since his ITV fallout.