THE BBC has taken the gloves off in a major ratings battle that could see it finally dismantle This Morning’s dominance of daytime TV.
Exploiting the ITV show’s ongoing crisis in the wake of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby quitting, the Beeb are beefing up rival daytime magazine show Morning Live.
This Morning has seen an ever-changing roster of hosts appear — which coincides with it floundering, with six-figure viewing figures.
Meanwhile, Morning Live has just revealed a star-studded line-up of presenters it hopes will build on its daily audience of around 1.1million.
Stars includes popular hosts Gethin Jones, Kym Marsh, Sara Cox and Kimberley Walsh.
The Beeb have also confirmed that from the New Year, the show will be extended from 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes.
And in a move that will create a huge overlap with This Morning’s slot, Morning Live’s start time will shift from 9.15am to 9.30am and end at 10.45am.
A TV insider said: “The Beeb are really exploiting This Morning’s ongoing woes and offering something that is a genuine alternative.
“It isn’t just that Morning Live is starting to look more and more like This Morning — it’s also that they are making a real bid to steal a chunk of their audience.
“The fact that they go on air first means that, if viewers stick with the show till the end of each episode, that’s likely to take a big bite out of their rival’s ratings.
“Beeb bosses are tackling the profile of Morning Live’s presenters and maintaining their viewing figures and content in a bid for TV dominance.
“Now their next big challenge is making sure it is talked about just as much as This Morning.
“Emulating that buzz won’t be easy, but it is crucial if they are to win this fight.”
This Morning, which has been on our screens since 1988, draws a daily audience of around 800,000.
Holly and Phil’s presenting dynamic proved to be a boost for the show’s ratings. They achieved their highest viewing figures in 19 years in early 2021, when 1.4million viewers were tuning in each day.
The last time they were that high was back when Phillip was presenting the programme in the Noughties with Fern Britton. She quit in 2009, and Holly took over. One particularly well-received episode in February 2021 drew 1.9million viewers — but recently that figure has fallen as low as 700,000.
Morning Live, however, which is only three years old, already has consistent daily viewing figures of around 1.1million.
Yesterday, bosses confirmed the permanent gang of presenters who will be fronting the newly extended programme from the new year.
It will also include Rav Wilding, Gaby Roslin and Crimewatch host Michelle Ackerley, as well as one of the stars of last year’s Strictly Come Dancing, top signing Helen Skelton.
Producers insist the programme has blossomed on the back of tackling issues, often by drawing on the skills of other BBC programmes known for helping consumers.
This year it challenged fast food eateries on the accuracy of their calorie labelling and exposed a supermarket that was selling the same products in different packaging at higher prices.
It also got a viewer £84,000 in cash back from a bank that had been holding on to their money.
Talking yesterday, Helen insisted this was part of the attraction for her signing up, saying: “It’s really nice to be part of a programme giving so many people a voice.
“Everything we talk about on the show is what my friends and family are texting me about.
“We’re right at the heart of what matters to people right now.
“We’re not just highlighting problems though, we’re finding solutions.”
Morning Live has been on the rise ever since it launched in October 2020, with just an eight-week initial run. That increased to three months the following year.
And, since May 2021, it has been almost constantly on our screens on weekdays.
Set against the backdrop of Salford and Manchester, it even catches the vibe of the early days of This Morning, when that show was filmed in Liverpool from 1988 until 1996.
BBC Head Of Daytime Rob Unsworth said: “Morning Live was a hit from the start, but we’ve listened to all those viewers who’ve asked us if it could be longer, and are delighted and excited to add an extra half hour.”
In contrast, This Morning has been reeling since the scandal that saw Phillip leave in May after he admitted having a relationship with a much younger assistant on the show.
That was made worse when Holly quit in October, with rumours she could now launch the next chapter of her career at the BBC too.
Since the pair left, This Morning producers have struggled to find the crucial dynamic between two presenters who could be put in place permanently.
Dermot O’Leary frequently hosts with Alison Hammond.
Meanwhile, other guest presenters have included Rylan Clark, Emma Willis, Rochelle Humes, Craig Doyle and Steve Jones.
ITV are expected to road-test even more names in the new year amid a huge revamp of the ailing programme.
In October, bosses said they were confident they could “bring back the chemistry of the show’s halcyon days and get viewing figures back up to the million mark”.
But that was before Morning Live announced its new super-charged show.
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