“Love Island” scored a record 2.8 million viewers for ITV2 during the season finale on Monday night, which saw loved-up duo Millie Court and Liam Reardon take home the £50,000 cash prize along with requisite bragging rights.
The numbers were 430,000 higher than the last season final, and beat the highest season 7 episode by 160,000 viewers.
Including the 400,000 viewers who watched the episode on ITV Hub, the audience totalled 3.2 million viewers.
According to the broadcaster, “Love Island” — which has been airing every day of the week on ITV2 — has dominated television in the coveted 16-34 demographic for the last two months, excluding Saturday nights and football, including 44 instances of beating every other channel.
And on ITV Hub it’s set to be the platform’s most-watched series, contributing to July becoming ITV Hub’s most successful month on record.
The ratings contrast with the rhetoric on Twitter, where viewers complained that this year’s season didn’t have enough drama. That was somewhat remedied in the latter half of the season when contestant Faye Winter was shown screaming and cursing at her partner, Teddy Soares, after she accused him of flirting with another woman behind her back.
Viewers were shocked by the display, with many criticizing ITV for broadcasting the scenes in light of its late host Caroline Flack, who died by suicide while awaiting trial on charges of assaulting her boyfriend.
Further drama followed after the island’s earliest and most outwardly stable couple, Liberty Poole and Jake Cornish, broke up and exited the show just days before the final.
“We’re delighted that the final ended on a ratings high, rounding off a series that is on track to be the most popular yet in terms of viewing on ITV Hub, and averaging over 4 million per episode across all devices,” said Kevin Lygo, managing director of media and entertainment at ITV. “‘Love Island’ also continues to be completely unrivalled in its ability to engage younger audiences at scale, with the show being the most watched program for 16-34s across any channel, for a really impressive 44 nights during the run.”