ITV’s Good Morning Britain is closing the gap on BBC Breakfast thanks to its “super-group” of presenters.
Teaming up Susanna Reid with stars such as Martin Lewis, Richard Madeley, Ed Balls, Adil Ray and Rob Rinder has provided a ratings boost.
GMB has enjoyed its second best start to the year since it began in 2014, with ratings up 7% compared to the year before.
Since the turn of the year, the show has pulled in an average of 610,000 viewers compared to 1.1million over on the BBC.
ITV sources said they are delighted, with GMB up by 40,000 viewers and the BBC down 86,000 in the same period.
Corrie's Sue Cleaver says I'm A Celebrity stint helped her to push boundariesOne said: “When GMB was launched, ratings were less than 25 per cent of BBC Breakfast…at its peak this year, this has increased to over 60 per cent.
“We are committed to original journalism on GMB, be this Susanna broadcasting live from Ukraine-Poland border, Susanna and Richard’s BAFTA-nominated interview with [IS bride] Shamima Begum or Susanna interviewing Boris live from Downing Street.”
Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway have also been with the show since its launch.
The Mirror revealed last year ITV were drafting up a “super-group” of stars to fill the role after Piers Morgan’s departure.