Love Island ‘up in the air’ as Channel 9 suffers more low ratings after Today show drama
Love Island Australia has suffered consistently low ratings following the season 2 premiere last month and it’s unclear whether the show will be renewed by Channel 9.
Confidential
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The future of Love Island Australia is up in the air after just two seasons, amid low ratings.
A Channel 9 representative told Confidential ahead of this week’s finale that no decisions have been made about renewing the show.
“We’re not discussing where we’re at with series three but FYI Sophie (Monk) featured in a live cross from the Love Island villa at the recent 2020 Upfront (programming launch),” the spokesman said.
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A management representative for Love Island host Monk also confirmed that season three is yet to be confirmed although lower than expected ratings could be blamed for the question mark over its future.
The season premiered with 494,000 viewers across the five city metro markets last month but by the fourth episode, dropped to less than half of that with 240,000 viewers.
Bolstered by a strong following when the first season aired on Nine’s digital channel 9Go in 2018 with an average viewership of 155,000, the network supercharged into the second season with much hype upgrading to prime time on the main channel.
But despite the success of the UK version, the racy scenes and petty drama hasn’t been enough to entice Australian viewers.
Confidential understands some advertisers have expressed concerns over the lower than forecast ratings after being promised up to four times what it has been attracting.
Advertising expert, Nicole Reaney of InsideOut PR, previously said the 8:45pm timeslot was risky for the controversial show, which sees young singles hooking up in pursuit of love.
“It’s still relatively early for this content, a later slot, even by 15 minutes is ideal to minimise any potential negativity,” Reaney told Confidential.
“These days consumers vote with their wallets, if there is any doubt that their brand may receive backlash, then they are likely to select a ‘safer’ advertising option.”
This week, five remaining couples will battle it out for the $50,000 prize money as fans vote for their favourite pair to win the show.
Elsewhere at Channel 9, the network has announced Karl Stefanovic will return to the beleaguered Today show in an attempt to boost low ratings.
Stefanovic will be joined by 60 Minutes reporter and Weekend Today host Allison Langdon, with the pair replacing ousted Georgie Gardner and Deb Knight.
Sports presenter Tony Jones has also quit the show.
“I’ll still be involved with the Today show next year on big Melbourne stories, just not a regular basis,” he said.