Ratings for the British edition of “Love Island” have plummeted for a second consecutive season.
The ITV dating reality show’s Season 10 premiere on Monday night drew 1.3 million and an 11% audience share — that’s slightly more than half the viewers from the 2.4 million (15.4% share) who tuned in for the 2022 summer season opener.
It also continues a downward linear ratings trend for “Love Island,” which had a quiet winter season a few months back despite featuring a new host in Maya Jama. The winter premiere episode attracted just 1.4 million viewers and an 8.7% audience share on its terrestrial broadcast. (It was, however, a different story on streamer ITVX, with the launch drawing 3.4 million viewers, according to ITV.)
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Figures for catch-up viewing on the fledgling streaming platform hadn’t been released at press time, but it’s clear that this summer season will be a crucial test case for ITVX as it continues to explore where audiences are watching its juggernaut programs.
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“Love Island’s” peak years were from 2017 to 2019, when each episode would pull some 3.5 million viewers. Producers are evidently trying to freshen up the format, with a couple of major twists already thrown in to the Season 10 premiere.
Unlike in past seasons where female contestants entered the villa first and then selected the men they wanted to couple up with later on in the episode, this summer’s show had both men and women enter the villa together. Ultimately, it was the public that decided on the couples.
Despite the popularity of Jama as host, one of the reasons for the show’s declining numbers could be that the current season’s participants are banned from social media. ITV made the sweeping change in its duty of care protocols in January in order to “ensure that both the Islanders and their families are protected from the adverse effects of social media.”
Another reason for the decline could be the glut of dating reality shows that are now available to viewers. These include Netflix’s “Too Hot to Handle” and “Love is Blind,” Channel 4’s “First Dates” and “Five Dates a Week” and the BBC’s “I Kissed a Boy” and the upcoming “I Kissed a Girl,” to name just a few.
The current season is again set in a villa in Mallorca. The initial group of Islanders include Ruchee Gurung, Ella Thomas, Catherine Agbaje, Jess Harding, Molly Marsh, André Furtado, Mitchel Taylor, Tyrique Hyde, George Fensom and Mehdi Edno.
“Love Island” is produced by Lifted Entertainment, part of ITV Studios, and Motion Content Group.
U.K. ratings for “Love Island” were first reported in Broadcast magazine.
