09:53 21 April 2011
Breakfast show Daybreak has been revealed as one of the most unpopular programmes on television, according to audience research.
Ratings for the ITV show have also dropped to fewer than 7,000, well below predecessor GMTV's average figures and less than half the number of viewers that tune into rival show, BBC Breakfast.
The research found that Daybreak, presented by Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley, regularly comes bottom when viewers are asked to rate shows that they watch.
A source told The Mirror:
"Research is suggesting that Daybreak is now damaging the station's entire schedule. That simply will not be tolerated.
"A number of big changes are being considered now because the ratings are simply not good enough."
Viewers branded host Chiles as "grumpy", remarking that he had "lost his touch" and one audience member commented that Bleakley comes across as a "giggling airhead".
Audiences complained that the programme was lightweight, cold and that the two hosts lacked the chemistry that made them famous on the BBC's One Show.
Daybreak launched in September 2010 as a replacement for long-running morning show, GMTV.
Ratings plummeted to as low as 500,000 within months, despite a high-profile advertising campaign.
A spokesperson for ITV said they will be making "necessary changes" to the show; however they are "fully committed to Adrian and Christine as the faces of Daybreak".