Love Island bounces back to 3 million viewers after disappointing 2021 opening

‘Last night’s show had a bigger audience than the programming on Channel 4, Channel 5 and BBC Two combined,’ ITV said

ITV reported 3 million overnight viewers across TV and non-TV devices for the series eight premiere of Love Island on Monday (6 June).

“Last night’s show had a bigger audience than the programming on Channel 4, Channel 5 and BBC Two combined,” ITV said in a statement.

It was also the biggest TV audience of the night for younger viewers (1.1 million 16-34s).

It’s a sharp rise from the 2021 premiere, which posted disappointing overnight audience figures of 2.46 million. However, the 2021 launch was blighted by France’s coinciding knockout match against Switzerland in the Euros, which drew an audience of 7.5 million.

Love Island is still seeking to overtake ITV2’s record opening of the 2019 series, which commanded 3.3 million overnight viewers.

The series generally sees its biggest viewership figures on the show’s finale. Last year, 3.2 million people tuned in across all devices to watch Liam Reardon and Millie Court be crowned series champions.

Gemma and Liam on ‘Love Island’ season eight (ITV)

The new series’ cast was introduced last night – it includes Gemma Owen, daughter of former England footballer Michael Owen, and Tasha Ghouri, the show’s first deaf contestant

Following the launch, many fans have criticised the age gaps between contestants on this year’s series.

Find the five biggest talking points from the launch show here, and our verdict on the opener here.

Love Island will air every night apart from Saturdays at 9pm on ITV2 and Britbox for the next eight weeks.