- published: 20 Apr 2016
- views: 138
GMTV (now legally known as ITV Breakfast Limited) was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end. The final showing of GMTV was broadcast on 3 September 2010.
GMTV held the licence for the breakfast Channel 3 franchise since 1993, when it outbid the previous 6:00–9:25 am Channel 3 licence-holder, TV-am, in the 1991 franchise rounds, which were announced on 16 October that year.[citation needed] The first show was broadcast on Friday, 1 January 1993 and was presented by Eamonn Holmes and Anne Davies.[citation needed] Its main weekday presenters at launch were Fiona Armstrong and Michael Wilson. By March 1993, following poor ratings, Wilson had moved to present the news-focused 6.00 - 7.00 a.m. slot, which in 1994 became the "Reuters News Hour". Armstrong continued to co-present with Eamonn Holmes until April 1993, when her departure coincided with a revamp of the main programme, which included a new set that mimicked that of TV-am. Armstrong was replaced by Lorraine Kelly, who had been launch presenter of the post-9 a.m slot "Top of the Morning".