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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Zara Woodcock

Love Island's first episode storms ratings and beats last year's launch with 3m viewers

Love Island's first episode has stormed the ratings with a whopping 3 million viewers.

The ITV2 series returned to our screens on Monday evening and the nation were immediately locked in with the shenanigans.

It posted the biggest television audience of the night for younger viewers between 16 and 34, with 1.1 million viewers.

The dating show's launch episode is one of a mere four programmes this year that attracted over a million younger viewers.

Love Island's viewing statistics even topped the overnight audience for any Netflix, Disney+ or Amazone Programme show launch in 2022.

Last night’s show had a bigger audience (2.4 million) than the programming on Channel 4, Channel 5 and BBC Two combined.

Combining the stats with ITV Hub viewers as well as those who watched on other devices, the numbers rose to 3 million.

A total of 3 million viewers tuned into the show (ITV)

In 2021, the series - which was put on hold for 18 months due to the pandemic - aired with just 2.46 million overnight viewers.

The viewing figures dragged behind 2020's winter series launch, which had 2.5 million viewers, and a million below the summer series in 2019, which had 3.3 million tune in.

The widely-loved series aired last night to many complaints, questions, and compliments from intrigued viewers.

This year, instead of allowing the contestants to choose who they want to couple up with, they left the task in the hands of the public.

This year's launch episode came with a twist (ITV)

Playing cupid, the public voted who they wanted the girls to couple up with within the first episode.

However, not everyone liked the format and complained about it on Twitter.

One user wrote: "love island please never let the public chose the couples again #loveisland."

Another agreed and said: "40 minutes just to couple up which was boring asf with the public vote #LoveIsland"

However, fans weren't too happy with the idea (ITV)

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The couples include Paige Thorne and Luca Bish, Indiyah Polack and Ikenna Ekwonna, Tasha Ghouri and Andrew le Page, Amber Beckford and Dami Hope, and Gemma Owen and Liam Llewellyn.

Italian Stallion Davide Sanclimenti waltzed into the villa as a bombshell.

However, not everyone is happy with their pairings as fans noticed that Indiyah didn't seem to be too pleased to couple up with Ikenna.

The hotel waitress from London became an instant hit after she was filmed looking extremely unimpressed with her pairing choice.

Ikenna - who mortified viewers with his choice of footwear - seemed satisfied with the decision and smiled for the cameras for the couple's picture, but Indiyah was standing next to him already looking weary about the entire situation.

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