ITV Studios label MultiStory Media is set to merge with ITV Studios Daytime, with former daytime chief Emma Gormley named MD of the new merged body, which will cover current affairs, topical and live programming, premium documentaries, reality and factual entertainment under the MultiStory Media banner.
From January next year, MultiStory will produce some key ITV daytime entertainment titles such as Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women, while ITN will take over production of Good Morning Britain, as previously announced.
ITV described the merged label as “perfectly set up to target new business with popular journalism at its heart including current affairs and fast-turnaround shows, contemporary documentary and factual entertainment commissions, in the broadcast, digital or podcast space.”
According to a report in Broadcast, ITV Daytime’s merger with MediaCity UK and London HQ’d MultiStory will not impact any further jobs roles in daytime, following the announcement of swingeing cuts in May which it was reported could affect around half of staff.
MultiStory’s current live portfolio includes The Martin Lewis Money Show and Preston, as well as non-ITV favourites such as E4 mainstay Come Dine With Me and the enlightening Danny Dyer-fronted Channel 4 reality show Scared of the Dark.
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Gormley’s predecessor as MultiStory MD Tim Carter, now ITV’s managing director of unscripted, UK, said: “Emma is an exceptional leader with entrepreneurial journalism pulsing through her veins. Bringing all these brilliant current shows together under her direction in one centre of excellence is a no-brainer. It positions MultiStory as the market-leader in the UK for popular current affairs and daytime”.
Gormley added: “MultiStory Media and ITV Daytime already share a huge amount of creative DNA and award-winning programmes, from live television, features and journalism, to popular factual and entertainment. I look forward to bringing hundreds of hours of high- quality television together under one roof to create a powerful, future-facing content business.”
Signpost Entertainment, which produces factual and factual entertainment programmes such as Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes and BBC See Hear! also came under the MultiStory Media umbrella last year.
The new, merged label will operate from its bases in London, Manchester and Gateshead from the beginning of next year.
