ITV Daytime Shake-Up: Lorraine and Loose Women Axed for Half the Year
In a significant shake-up of its daytime schedule, ITV has announced that Lorraine and Loose Women will be axed for half the year, with Lorraine’s runtime slashed by 30 minutes. The move is part of a broader effort to cut costs and invest in more drama programs, with over 220 job losses expected.
According to The Daily Mail, host Lorraine Kelly’s show will now air for just 30 minutes, from 9:30am to 10am, with Good Morning Britain taking her 9-10am slot for 22 weeks of the year. For the remaining 30 weeks, Lorraine will present five days a week, eliminating the need for her Friday stand-in presenters Ranvir Singh and Christine Lampard.
The source, as reported by The Daily Mail, stated that ITV has decided to cut resources on its daytime schedule to invest in more drama programs. “There is a need to cost save but also so that the right money can go to the right shows and with everything getting more expensive these things have to be looked at,” the source said.
As reported by The Daily Mail, Loose Women will also now air for just 30 weeks of the year, adopting a two-week on, two-week off schedule. Meanwhile, This Morning, hosted by Alison Hammond, Ben Shepherd, and Cat Deeley, remains untouched.
In addition to the schedule changes, ITV Studios will no longer produce Good Morning Britain, with ITN taking over production. This could potentially lead to a merger between the staff working on GMB and the channel’s news bulletins.
Kevin Lygo, Managing Director of ITV’s Media and Entertainment Division, explained the changes, as quoted in The Daily Mail: “Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres.”
Lygo added, as reported by The Daily Mail: “These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever.”
The changes were announced in an emergency staff meeting held by ITV Daytime boss Emma Gormley on Tuesday afternoon. The Daily Mail also reported that ITV said it is unlikely any on-screen talent will be axed, with the changes having no influence on the shows’ performances.
The shake-up is part of a broader effort to adapt to changing viewer habits and increasing costs. As Lygo noted, “Daytime has been a core element of ITV’s schedule for over 40 years and these changes will set ITV up to continue to bring viewers award-winning news, views and discussion as we enter our eighth decade.”
The impact of the changes on staff was acknowledged by Lygo, who stated, as quoted in The Daily Mail: “I recognise that our plans will have an impact on staff off-screen in our Daytime production teams, and we will work with ITV Studios and ITN as they manage these changes to produce the shows differently from next year, and support them through this transition.”
As reported by The Daily Mail, Good Morning Britain will now be extended for 30 minutes for 30 weeks of the year, and by an hour for the remaining 22 weeks. The show’s new schedule will start immediately, with the changes expected to have a significant impact on ITV’s daytime lineup.
The decision to axe Lorraine and Loose Women for half the year is a significant one, with both shows having been popular fixtures on ITV’s daytime schedule for many years. However, according to The Daily Mail, the move is part of a broader effort to adapt to changing viewer habits and increasing costs, and to invest in more drama programs.
In conclusion, the ITV daytime shake-up, as reported by The Daily Mail, will see significant changes to the channel’s lineup, with Lorraine and Loose Women axed for half the year. While the changes may be seen as a blow to fans of the shows, they are part of a broader effort to adapt to changing viewer habits and increasing costs, and to invest in more drama programs. As the television landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how ITV’s daytime schedule continues to adapt and change in response.
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