ITV hoping to poach Chris Hollins for Daybreak

A tabloid report claims ITV bosses are hoping to poach Chris Hollins from BBC Breakfast in a bid to boost Daybreak‘s popularity.

The Sun reports that Daybreak bosses are secretly trying to tempt Chris Hollins over from rivals BBC Breakfast in a bid to tackle the show’s dwindling popularity. The Sun reports that Adrian Chiles has been singled out as a ‘turn off’ for most viewers and they believe securing Hollins – a popular member of the Breakfast team – will help boost Daybreak.

“The feeling is that Adrian is the main issue as audience research keeps showing him up as being grumpy. ” – A “source” quoted in The Sun

Earlier this week The Mirror claimed that axing Chiles and co-presenter Christine Bleakley would cost ITV £2 million per presenter – if they were dumped before their contracts were up – because of clauses but the paper claimed ITV bosses were considering such moves to try and turn around the breakfast magazine show. However, ITV denied there were any plans to change the line-up of presenters on Daybreak.

BBC Breakfast enjoys double the ratings of rivals Daybreak but it will move production from London to Salford next year. Hollins, along with others on Breakfast, declined to make the move north. However, its likely the BBC will be keen to find another programme for Hollins due to his popularity with viewers.