ITVBe show ‘cancelled’ after 11 series as channel shuts down – and biggest shows move to ITV2
ITV has quietly axed Dinner Date after more than a decade on air, following the ITVBe’s shutdown announcement.
The dating series, which first launched in 2010, has not been picked up by ITV2 – where many of the channel’s biggest shows will migrate to.
While ITV has not formally announced the end of Dinner Date, the show was noticeably absent from a channel’s press release, issued today.
With ITVBe set to be rebranded as ITV Quiz in June 2025, a source close to production has confirmed the format is not returning.
A channel insider said: “There is no new series of Dinner Date currently commissioned, but if it did return, it would be on ITV2/ITVX.”
The series, known for its mix of blind dating and home cooking, ran for 11 main series and several celebrity specials, and had become a fan favourite in the UK’s reality TV calendar.
Viewers followed contestants as they picked dates based on menus, not photos, before being wined and dined at their homes – with mixed results.
ITV announced the closure of ITVBe today, as part of a wider restructuring effort to streamline content and invest more heavily in ITVX and ITV2.
Flagship shows like The Only Way Is Essex and The Real Housewives of Cheshire will be rehomed on ITV2, which will serve as ITV’s primary reality and entertainment hub.
An insider said today: “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.”
Earlier this year, The Sun revealed Sam and Billie Faiers are reuniting for a new series, which will focus on them and how they juggle their busy careers.
Originally expected to air on ITVBe, the sisters’ new series will also move to ITV2 now.
As will Georgia, 33, and 32-year-old Tommy’s upcoming fly-on-the-wall series.
Love Island is arguably one of the biggest shows on ITV, with the 2024 series launch attracting 2.2million viewers.
The show and all of its spin offs have been streamed 2.2 billion times, while Big Brother in all its forms has now been streamed over 100 million times since moving to ITV in 2023.
Towie is ITV’s longest-running reality show, having launched in 2010.
The final of the first series drew in 737,000 viewers but last year it was reported less than 50,000 were tuning into the iconic show.
It’s still a huge hit on streaming, reaching 66million viewers over the last 12 months.
No doubt bosses are hoping a fresh channel will give the Essex show the audience it deserves.
Other shows that currently call ITVBe home include The Bardsley Bunch, which follows the lives of Tanya and Phil Bardsley.