GMTV

Background

GMTV Limited was the ITV franchise for breakfast television that aired between 6 and 9:25 am, which replaced TV-am on 1 January 1993, and originally obtaining the franchise as "Sunrise Television" on 16 October 1991, operating as a joint-venture between London Weekend Television (later Granada Media Group), Scottish Television Enterprises (later STV Group), The Walt Disney Company, the Guardian Media Group and Carlton Communications, all owning 20% each in the franchisee.

GMTV Limited operated news and breakfast magazines during the weekdays, with a normal day from the 2009 refresh consisting of the titular GMTV from 7:00am-8:30am and the Lorraine Kelly-hosted GMTV with Lorraine from 8:30am-9:25am (although on Fridays, GMTV ran until 9:25am), while the weekends featured The Fluffy Club, a pre-school strand produced by Darrall Macqueen formerly known as Wakey Wakey!, and Toonattik, produced by the company in-house.

From 2000-2008, the schedule consisted of the GMTV Newshour from 6:00am-7:00am, GMTV Today from 7:00am-8:30am, and LK Today from 8:30am-9:25am, although on Fridays Entertainment Today aired instead until the Summer of 2008. Weekends featured the Disney-produced Diggit/Diggin' It, and the GMTV-produced Up on the Roof cartoon blocks, and The Sunday Programme on early Sunday mornings before the children's shows.

Upon its launch on 1 January 1993, it wasn't commercially successful until a turn-around came by the following year. Eventually, GMTV gained more noteworthy reception similar to its predecessor.

In January 1999, the company launched GMTV2, the breakfast franchisee for ITV2, which introduced a then-new GMTV logo in its branding; it was the first to use the new logo. The main GMTV strand would not rebrand until New Year's Day 2000. With this, the titular GMTV program was renamed into GMTV Today. Within the same year, the Guardian Media Group sold their shares in GMTV Limited to the other parties, which now each owned a 25% share in it.

Following the merger of Granada and Carlton to form ITV plc in 2004, the venture became 50% of the company. After gaining interest in acquiring ITV plc's 50% shares, the STV Group eventually sold their stake to them in 2004, making the company 75% owned by ITV plc, and 25% owned by The Walt Disney Company. By August 2004, GMTV transitioned their programmes to the 16:9 widescreen ratio.

On 5 January 2009, GMTV gained a new brighter and refreshed look with a new logo and presenting roles. The GMTV Newshour and GMTV Today programmes were merged to form a singular programme under the GMTV name, while LK Today was renamed GMTV with Lorraine as it moved into the main studio.

In November 2009, Disney accepted ITV plc's £18 million offer for them to own the entirety of GMTV Limited (although Disney had plans of selling their stake as early as 2004). In June 2010, ITV announced that the GMTV brand would be retired and that the GMTV programme would be entirely replaced with a new offering. The company was renamed ITV Breakfast Limited on 9 July 2010 and on the same day, ITV announced that GMTV would be replaced with Daybreak (which would be replaced in 2014 by a new version of Good Morning Britain, the show which the GMTV programme replaced) while the portion of the programme fronted by Lorraine Kelly would become a standalone programme under the name Lorraine. GMTV ended its run on 3 September 2010 and replaced with the new programmes on 6 September (the following Monday).

1st ID (1 January 1993-1995)

ID: We see a large 3D golden sun with the 3D embossed letters "GM" in a red Times New Roman font on it. As the sun rotates to face us, we see the letters "TV", in blue and in the same font as "GM" next to it. This is set within a white background, with the sun in a blue stripe.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A bass sounder that leads to an orchestral swelling of notes, ending with a held-out note that segues into the program's theme.

Availability: Extinct. It was used as a startup bumper preceding the main GMTV programme itself.

2nd ID (1995-1996)

ID: On the same blue/white stripe background, we see a sun "rising" on the blue stripe and forming the 3D sun, while "GMTV" fades in, forming the same logo as before.

Technique: CGI.

Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.

Availability: Same as before.

3rd ID (1996-31 December 1999)

ID: On a blue background, we see the golden sun moving to the left of the screen, then the camera rotates to a comfortable view as "GMTV" appears from the right (i.e. the 1990 Universal Pictures logo).

Variants:

During break bumpers, the sequence is shortened to only the letters moving.
During Christmas time, snowflakes are seen on the logo. Then, as the logo forms, a dark green gift tag reading "Merry Christmas from GMTV" swiftly moves around as a purple ribbon attaches itself to the tag.
During the preparations of the millennium celebrations in 2000, the logo begins as normal but then the background brightens as the logo moves to the bottom to make way for a large "2000" on the top, while the sun shines.

Technique: CGI. The snowflakes in the Christmas variant are likely cel-animated, while the tag and ribbon are also CGI.

Music/Sounds: An upbeat computerised synth sounder that incorporates the last four notes of the GMTV theme at the end.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the Christmas variant, we hear jingle sounds and then a five-note electric sounder near the end of the GMTV theme.

Availability: Extinct. The shortened version tended to be used for break bumpers, while the longer one was used to open the GMTV programme itself.

4th ID (1 January 2000-2004)

ID: On a blue/white ripple/swirl background, we see the golden sun being formed onto the screen. Then, the letters "GMTV", now in a Tahoma font and with "TV" in white, form as the background brightens, forming the then-new GMTV logo.

Variants:

Early on the logo's life, when it is transitioning to the GMTV Today intro, the sun flashes as clips of the presenters appear on it.
Starting in 2001, the URL GMTV.co.uk, later gm.tv is added to the end screen.
The Christmas variant features a rotating ornament on a more Christmassy blue background which then blurs out as the GMTV logo appears.

Technique: CGI.

Music/Sounds: A majestic four-note theme based on the previous sounder.

Music/Sounds Variants: Beginning in 2002, the Christmas variant uses the same music as the previous logo.

Availability: Extinct. This was used as a startup bumper preceding the main GMTV programme (by this point renamed GMTV Today; see the background for more).

5th ID (January-Late 2004)

ID: In a live-action GMTV-themed set, we see different presenters from the strand (a list of them seen below) appearing as they smile at the screen or engage in different poses or actions, similar to the ITV1 "Celebrities" idents from 2002-2004. The footage then blurs as the GMTV logo appears.

Variants: Many variants were produced:

John Stapleton and Penny Smith
Andrew Castle and Kate Garroway
Kate Garroway and Ben Shephard
Eamonn Holmes and Fiona Phillips
Lorraine Kelly
A group of GMTV presenters

Technique: Live-action.

Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.

Availability: Extinct. These idents were rather short-lived.

The John Stapleton and Penny Smith version was used to precede GMTV Newshour.
The middle three variants were used to precede GMTV Today depending on what duo was presenting that day.
The Lorraine Kelly version was used to precede LK Today.

6th ID (Late 2004-2009)

ID: On a blue rippling background, we see the yellow sun zooming onto the screen, followed up with the GMTV text appearing as usual. The sun brightens as the background ripples.

Variants:

Several Christmas variants were produced:
- 2004 - We see several CGI snowflakes appearing around the logo, with a red ribbon reading "Merry Christmas" fading below.
- 2005 - We see the same CGI snowflakes as before, while a chyroned red ribbon with brown stripes reading "MERRY CHRISTMAS" forms below
- 2006 - Frosty sparkles appear around the logo, as the red text "Season's Greetings" appears in a swirl-like effect.
- 2007-2008 - When the logo forms, several CGI snowflakes, and red ornaments appear in the background while the sun becomes an ornament itself when the top portion of one fades onto it. The same "MERRY CHRISTMAS" ribbon from the 2005 variant forms below, but is far less chyroned on.

Technique: CGI.

Music/Sounds: Same as the last logo.

Music/Sounds Variant: The Christmas variants once again use the 1996-2000 theme.

Availability: Once again, extinct.

7th ID (5 January 2009-3 September 2010)

ID: We see scenes of a tree and a field, both with a color scheme consisting of white, light blue, orange, and yellow. The sun is shown rising during these scenes. Then, we fade to a light blue background with an orange/yellow radiant, where the final GMTV logo, consisting of an orange/red/yellow rounded box with top-right corner and "GMTV" in a connected rounded font, is formed onto the screen.

Variant: Starting in at least March 2009, the GMTV logo would zoom in and flip down to begin the main programme (renamed back to GMTV as part of the rebrand; see the background for more).

Technique: CGI.

Music/Sounds: Originally, it was the second half of the GMTV Today theme, but beginning in March 2009, a more upbeat remixed version of the theme was used. The variant also has a female announcer say "This is GMTV with [NAME OF PRESENTERS]."

Availability: Extinct. It served the same purpose as all the other idents.