ITV stars fear a major ax as bosses look to make further cuts amid falling ratings and advertising revenue.
Sources say they are “panic stations” with big-name contracts being reviewed and shows like Good Morning Britain changing frantically.
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TV stars fear major ax as bosses want cuts amid falling ratings and advertising revenue, Loose Women hosts could be at riskCredit: Rex
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This Morning presenter Dermot O’Leary is among those ‘on 12-month contracts’Credit: Rex
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Adil Ray with Kate Garraway on Good Morning Britain Credit: Rex
Relaxed female presenters could also be at risk following a recent diversity crackdown as ITV looks to save money and protect the jobs of backroom staff.
A source said yesterday: “It’s panic time. Managerial contracts are under heavy scrutiny when they expire – usually in August or September – and there are warnings of further cuts.”
GMB’s Adil Ray and This Morning’s Dermot O’Leary are among those “on 12-month contracts so theoretically most likely to be in the firing line”.
But a source said: “Dermot is very popular with viewers and absolutely nobody wants him to go anywhere. So he will be safe.
“The editors are so concerned that they send staff ‘heat maps’ of ratings every day, showing which items have lost viewers.
“Several of the Loose Women panelists are also worried because so many new faces have been brought in and some have done better than others.”
Meanwhile, GMB has seen a few changes in the past few weeks. The source added: “It’s pretty frenetic.”
It comes three weeks after ITV announced 200 jobs would go in a £50m-a-year cost-saving drive.
A spokesperson said: “We are very proud of our teams, on and off screen, who produce 71⁄2 hours of brilliant live content every weekday.
“ITV’s daytime shows reach 7.5 million viewers a week.”
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Susanna Reid Presenter of Good Morning BritainCredit: ITVLoose Women turns 25 and gets a BAFTA nomination
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