This Morning presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley have reportedly left bosses “thrilled” with their first few weeks as the new main hosts.
Recent reports claimed that the show’s rebrand – with the new presenters at the helm – was in chaos following a dip in viewing figures.
It was alleged that This Morning was trailing behind BBC daytime rival Morning Live in the ratings war. And it was said that viewing figures under Ben and Cat have slumped to their lowest since Holly Willoughby announced she was leaving the show.
ITV hit back, though. In a statement, it threw its support behind Ben and Cat. A rep stated that the pair had “recorded the best audience reach of the year so far” since taking over the show.
New This Morning presenters
Meanwhile, a source has since claimed that bosses are thrilled with Ben and Cat’s “strong start”. The insider told the MailOnline: “They’ve already had the top three performances of the year so far during the three weeks, and viewing has been up across those three weeks compared to the year to date average.
“The bosses are thrilled, it has been a very long year for them… so to see figures that prove things are going so well is a huge boost for everyone involved. They are clearly very popular with the viewers.”
The source added: “Holly and Phil were on together for 14 years so it has been a long time since there has been a fresh relaunch – The overall view is that this has been a massive success, it’s great news.”
ED! has contacted This Morning for comment.
According to a report The Sun, Ben and Cat had a peak of just over 1.03m watching when they took over on March 11. However, by March 26 that figure was down to just 692,500, the report claims.
They’ve so much riding on Ben and Cat being a success.
The paper reported that’s the lowest viewing figure since Holly’s last day on October 10. It’s also lower than Philip’s last day the previous May when 767,00 watched.
The last episode Ben and Cat hosted on March 28, though, brought a slight rise. Viewing figures for that show reported at 830,000. The pair are currently off on an Easter break. As a result, Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary have been presenting the show.
‘Signs are not good’
One insider alleged: “The hope was that the new duo would bring back an air of stability and familiarity back to This Morning. It’s still relatively early days, but the signs are not good.
“After the initial flurry of interest on their first day in the job, the viewing figures almost immediately dipped back into six figures. ITV bosses will be hoping they can turn things around before the next big milestone date. They’ve so much riding on Ben and Cat being a success.”
ITV issues statement
This Morning is backing its new presenters, though. And, in a comment to ED!, claimed viewing figures are actually up year on year.
An ITV spokesperson told ED!: “Ben and Cat have recorded the best audience reach of the year so far on This Morning with 4.5 million viewers across one week. Viewing figures for January – March 2024 are also up 5% compared to 2023.”
Read more: Alison Hammond tipped to announce her departure from This Morning this year
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