Fans will be gutted
ITV is set to close down a major TV channel after over a decade on screens.
The shake up will see a host of hugely popular reality TV shows migrate across channels following changing circumstances.
ITVBe, which was launched in 2014, is currently ITV’s home for reality TV shows such as The Only Way Is Essex and The Real Housewives of Cheshire.
The decision has come in the wake of the growing success of Love Island which airs on ITV2.
Decision makers at the company have decided to make ITV2 the home of reality TV which will leave ITVBe to be taken off air.
An insider told The Sun: “ITV has seen incredible success and record breaking numbers of viewers on ITV2, so following that success they’ll be shutting ITVBe and moving Towie onto ITV2, which will now be the home of reality.
“ITVBe shuts in June, then the new series of Towie will debut on ITV2 in Autumn.”
This shift in channel line up means that shows that had been in the pipeline to air on ITVBe will now air on ITV2.
One of these shows will see Sam Billie Faiers reunite for a new series that will focus on their busy careers.
Georgia and Tommy: Baby Steps will also see the same fate.
Reality TV is still one of television’s greatest vices, attracting millions of viewers each year.
Love Island alone saw 2.2 million people tune in for the series launch in 2024 while the show and all its spin offs have been streamed over two billion times.
Meanwhile Big Brother has been streamed 100 million times since moving to ITV in 2023.
The Only Way Is Essex which is one of ITVBe’s most popular shows launched in 2010, however has seen a drop in viewing numbers dropping to an audience of around 50,000.
However, the show has still hit 66 million viewers on stream across the lost 12 months.
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