Love Island has failed to bring in the viewers with the ratings for the first episode of the summer dating show falling to a new low.
The ITV2 dating reality show has typically been a summer staple on TV drawing in the viewers, but last night (Monday 5 June) only saw it bring in 1.3 million and an 11% audience share - which is much less compared with the 2022 summer series.
The ratings were thought to rise to 1.7 million when included ITVX streaming.
The new series launch flop follows after the winter season presented by Maya Jama earlier this year also failed to match previous seasons and draw in the viewers.
Last year the summer dating show had an average TV audience of 2.4 million, while four years ago the launch episode attracted 3.3 million.
The TV show is thought to have lost its appeal with its target audience of 16 to 34-year-old viewers as the ratings numbers dwindle.
Viewers watching the first episode of the new series via ITVX have slammed the channel as the streaming platform made the episode "impossible to watch".
While viewers choosing to stream the show online were forced to restart or switch off the platform after finding the programme kept glitching and buffering.
The issues streaming the show meant some Love Island fans admitted they gave up and switched it off entirely, whilst others missed huge chunks of the episode.
Some viewers missed key twists including the bombshell and pairings, whilst others were left with a blank screen meaning they kept getting a dark screen.
One of the big twists that viewers missed was host Maya Jama announcing the decision of who the Islanders would couple up with had already been made for them by the public.
In previous episodes the Love Islanders have been able to declare who they would like to couple up with after seeing their co-stars for the first time.
The public were encouraged to choose the pairings with Maya teasing viewers over their power during an interview on Good Morning Britain. She said: "A very big surprise is that the public has all the power.
"For the first episode, you guys are going to decide who couples up. You vote and then we listen. It's a big decision to make, as soon as you see them."
Maya has also issued advice for Love Islanders as she urged them not to couple up on their first day. She said: "When they lock themselves up right away, I’m like, ‘No, you’ve got so much time, know everybody’.
"Don’t fall in love on the first day. But if you do, fantastic, you might just end up making it to the end.
"Me, personally, I wouldn’t lock down with somebody on the first day. I would keep my options open."
Love Island airs all this week at 9PM on ITV2 and ITVX.
