This Morning roars back as new hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard beat Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s viewing figures after attracting an audience of 4.5 million in a week
ITV bosses are celebrating after new This Morning presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard surpassed last year’s viewing figures by 5 per cent.
The pair, who took part in the program last month, also have higher viewing figures than Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in 2023, attracting 4.5 million viewers in just a week.
During their three-week broadcast of the daytime show, viewing figures have increased compared to the year-to-date average and during this time have achieved their highest three performances of the year to date.
Ms Deeley and Mr Shephard, who defected to This Morning from sister show Good Morning Britain, have also proved popular on digital platforms, with 27.7 million video views of the show on social media.
An ITV insider told the Mail: ‘The truth is that Ben and Cat have made a strong start in just three weeks and everyone is delighted.
Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard (pictured) joined the program last month and have higher viewing figures than Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in 2023
Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby both left This Morning in 2023
Deeley took over and she and Shephard attracted 1.02 million viewers for their first show
“They’ve already had the three best performances of the year over the three weeks so far, and viewership is up over those three weeks compared to the year-to-date average.
‘The bosses are delighted, it’s been a very long year for them… so to see figures that prove everything is going so well is a huge boost for everyone involved. They are clearly very popular with viewers.
‘Holly and Phil had been together for 14 years, so it’s been a long time since a new start has taken place. The overall picture is that this has been a huge success, it’s great news.”
Ms Deeley, 47, and Mr Shephard, 49, attracted 1.02 million viewers for their first show and have kept their audience steady since.
They are up against the BBC’s Morning Live, which extended its run in January to clash with This Morning and hired Helen Skelton as its main female presenter.
Although Morning Live attracts a slightly higher average audience than This Morning, insiders say it is shedding viewers throughout the slot after inheriting a big lead from BBC Breakfast.
The pair have kept the show’s ratings steady
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary stepped in over Easter
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary (pictured) also had a two-week bumper for Mrs Deeley and Mr Shephard over the Easter holidays
Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary also provided a wonderful two-week cover for Mrs Deeley and Mr Shephard over the Easter holidays.
Bosses feel they have found their dream team in the two combinations. ITV chiefs jumped through hoops to hire Ms Deeley, who has presented US reality show So You Think You Can Dance since 2005.
Mr Shephard was previously in line to co-host with Ms Willoughby before her sensational exit from This Morning last October.
Mr Schofield left last May after an argument between the couple. He later admitted to the Mail that he had had an affair with a much younger This Morning colleague and later lied about it.
On March 26, viewership fell to 692,500 – which ITV sources said was because it happened on the day of a dramatic bridge collapse in Baltimore.
ITV insiders say This Morning figures could fall if major news stories break This Morning’s figures. But bosses are more interested in building their audience and increasing year-over-year ratings.