The Return of Love Island - Fading Away or Back Better than Ever?
When the eighth season of Love Island hits our screens on ITV 2 on Monday the 6th of June for another summer of love, it seems like it will divide the nation as to who is tuning in, as diehard fans have been anticipating the show’s return ever since the last one completed; and the cynics who revel in the fact of not watching the show are predicting fewer people to watch the show and the beginning of the end for the reality show. The show is one of the last standing terrestrial TV shows competing with the big-hitting streaming platforms so its success is not to be understated. But let’s be honest, the show is like Marmite, love or hate it, let’s assess where they go from here…
(The cast of 2019 Love Island)
In terms of average viewers, the show peaked in the summer of 2019, when most people caught on to the fact that this was here to stay. The year of fan favourites such as winner Amber, runners up Tommy and Molly etc, with an average viewership of 5.61 million people per episode, which was around a million more than the season before in 2018, Jack and Dani being the winners of that years’ series, coupled with England’s success in the World Cup, served as a summer to remember fondly for most English people.
(Love Island 2019 Week 1 Highlights; Source: ITV2 YouTube)
After seeing these record-breaking numbers, ITV decided to try and capitalise on these viewers by creating Winter Love Island, airing on the 12th of January 2020, this version was filmed in South Africa, but many fans either weren’t interested enough to watch two seasons of the show in the same year or decided it did not have the same draw or vibe as the original summer versions. This season resulted in the lowest average views for a Love Island since 2017, which is the beginning when cynics started proclaiming that the show was overdone and was in much need of a refresh.
It was also the first season after the 3rd Love Island-related suicide, as presenter Caroline Flack committed suicide when the ridiculous amount of negative social media comments and press attention she was receiving all got too much for her, devastating her boyfriend and the general public. This comes after former contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis, nicknamed ‘Muggy Mike’ on the show which just says it all, also have committed suicide in the last few years, surrounding negative press and social media commentary. This makes people wonder why this show is still on ITV, as the popular yet controversial ‘Jeremy Kyle Show’ was axed by the same broadcaster after someone who was featured on the show committed suicide. After three suicides and no signs of the showstopping, is it really to do with empathy and care for others, or is money and views the true motivator? But the show has never really hit the same heights since.
In terms of marketing the show on TV, Love Island is no different to other ITV shows, generic promotional adverts are key. However, social media is where they prevail and are uber-successful, and it’s not always their own doing, as viral marketing from fans is key. The #LoveIsland tends to trend in the UK on Twitter over the whole duration of every episode as it airs. Fans try to get the next viral tweet to bag themselves a couple thousand likes and retweets for their own 15 minutes of fame, and even maybe a retweet from the show’s verified account if they are lucky. This viral marketing increases the popularity of the show, and the discourse gives them ideas for content, the fans are practically working in the Love Island social media department, they just don’t know it.
(A prime example of #LoveIsland Twitter discourse)
In June 2017, the show After Sun was first aired, which airs straight after each Love Island episode, hosted by narrator Ian Stirling, the show offers inside exclusives with islanders and offers further discourse for mega fans. The show is typical of ITV, as other hit shows such as I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, X-Factor and Britain’s Got Talent all have similar shows for the same purpose. They also do a reunion show after the show is finished to get all the islanders back together to have a recap of the series and promote all the islanders into stardom.
Love Island have an app where you can do a multitude of things related to the show. It is the only place where you can vote for your favourite couple etc to stay in the villa and get involved in certain challenges on the show. This is also the only place where you can find the full ‘first look’ for the next episode, exclusive gossip and discourse on the goings-on in the villa, the official podcast, and of course, buying merchandise. It was only a matter of time before ITV decided to monetise their hit series to become an even bigger cash cow, as they sell things like personalised wristbands and water bottles like on the show to die-hard fans for extreme prices. Their social media strategy coupled with this is one of the best, if not the best in TV.
However, the show has had major backlash in the past with promoting and partnering with fast fashion brands such as I Saw it First and Missguided and they have now scrapped these partnerships for resale giant eBay, as all islanders will be wearing second-hand clothing to combat fast fashion. It could either be deemed as a political move and too little too late, or a step in the right direction, depending on the level of cynicism you have.
Will you be tuning into Love Island this year?
