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[Anthony]

Maybe you didn't know, but ITV1 isn't really ITV1 at all, it's "Channel 3", and until today the morning slot was effectively a completely separate broadcaster using the channel: GMTV. 75% owned by ITV and 25% owned by... Disney.

That'd be why some of us grew up with the Disney Club on Sunday mornings.

Well, no more...

ITV takes full control of breakfast TV broadcaster GMTV

TV has taken full control of the breakfast TV broadcaster GMTV, buying the 25% share it did not already own from Disney for £22.25m.

The deal is structured as a one-off cash payment of £18m to Disney for its 25% stake, plus a further sum of £4.25m, which represents its share of the forecast cash balance in the GMTV business as at the year end.

It is likely ITV will seek to cut costs as it integrates the GMTV team with the rest of its broadcasting and production business.

Peter Fincham, ITV's director of television, channels and online, told GMTV staff this morning that an editorial review would begin next week, although it is unclear what changes will be made to the ITV1 programme.

Fincham told GMTV staff no timetable had been set for the editorial review.

Alison Sharman, ITV's director of daytime, also attended the GMTV staff meeting along with John Creswell, the broadcaster's chief operating officer, and Clive Jones, GMTV's chairman.

Asked about the scale of possible cuts, one of the executives said that ITV would be looking for savings of 10%. It is likely that some jobs will go. GMTV employs around 300 staff and there is some duplication with ITV.

The licence to broadcast in the early-morning slot on ITV1, 6am-9.25am, is auctioned off separately from the other channel 3 regional licences.

ITV has gradually upped its stake in the company from an initial 25%, paying £31m for STV's 25% stake in 2004.

Guardian Media Group, the parent company of Guardian News & Media, which publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk, sold its 15% stake in GMTV for £18m in 2000. The stake was bought by Granada and Carlton, which merged to form ITV plc in 2003, and by SMG.

In a stock exchange statement, ITV said: "The acquisition forms part of ITV's strategy to focus on its core activities and will allow closer integration between ITV and the breakfast service."

John Cresswell, ITV's chief operating officer, added: "GMTV is the gateway to the ITV day and a perfect fit with ITV's existing daytime programming. It represents an exciting opportunity to create a highly complementary daytime schedule offering great programming from 6am to 6pm."

The breakfast TV franchise does not expire until 2014, but ITV has been lobbying the government to scrap the separate licence and fold it into the ITV1 franchise.

Today's deal brings the curtain down on a piece of TV history, after nearly 27 years of an ITV breakfast broadcaster operating as an independent franchise within the network.

Although ITV already held a controlling stake in GMTV, it managed the company at arm's length and had little or no editorial input into the show. That is now set to change.

The first ITV breakfast franchise was awarded to TV-am in 1980, although it did not start broadcasting until February 1983, by which time the BBC's rival show Breakfast Time was already on air.

TV-am's original presenters, who included Sir David Frost and Anna Ford, were dubbed the "gang of five" and were also shareholders in the company.

Initial viewing figures for TV-am were disappointing and the BBC's Breakfast Time proved more popular, although its ratings and commercial fortunes were transformed after the arrival of Greg Dyke, and then Bruce Gyngell.

TV-am lost the breakfast licence to GMTV in 1991 after the Conservative government changed the licensing system and ITV franchises were awarded to the highest bidder in a blind auction. Margaret Thatcher famously wrote to Gyngell, TV-am's Australian chief executive, expressing regret and confessing she was "heartbroken".

GMTV began broadcasting in 1993, after paying £36.4m for the ITV breakfast licence, although it subsequently negotiated a reduced fee.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/no ... gmtv-stake

In truth, Disney is far better off with the £22m...

[Aveen2008]

In truth, Disney is far better off with the £22m...

I was thinking exactly the same thing! :wink:

[Adam]

Hopefully, they will axe the awful Toonatik and just put the programmes on. That show is soooooooo bad.

[mattboywonder]

I don't think Walt ever thought his empire would involve owning a share in British breakfast telly!