What's your dream Love Island series on paper? While some viewers tune in for heartwarming romances—such as Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury falling for each other back in 2019—others prefer intense dramas, like 2022 winners Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti. Some watch for exciting challenges like Snog, Marry, Pie or those that literally send heart rates soaring. For most, it is a mix of all of these elements, a balance TV producers have been trying to strike for years with the original UK series, alongside international editions and spin-offs.
It is no secret that Love Island UK linear viewing figures have dropped from their 2019 heyday, with streaming and social media becoming more of a focus. The 13th series of the UK show ended on Monday, with Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi crowned the winners. The final drew in an average audience of 1.1 million viewers across all devices, including streaming, according to its broadcaster ITV. However, this was a notable drop from last year's final, which had an overnight audience of 1.3 million. By comparison, series five in 2019 broke the show's viewing records with 6 million tuning in to an episode post Casa Amor, and that year's final had the highest average audience to date. ITV noted that this 2019 figure was a consolidated number reached once it "had received all the data post final" and said it does not yet have an "equitable" figure for Series 13.
Sarel thinks that's an aspect which the US version has been getting right, as it feels like "everyone who is in there actually fancies one another" and there is "no box" they have to fit into. The US edition has also enjoyed an injection of star power, with celebrity fans like Lizzo, Demi Lovato, and Kesha sending messages of support to the finalists, while rapper Megan Thee Stallion has become a regular guest.
One UK personality who chose to go on the US version is Aaron Evans, though this was not his first reality series. Evans was one of three winners on the first series of The Traitors UK before appearing on series six of Love Island USA. He feels the US edition's success is helped by having "fresh eyes" on the format and the show having "so much social media presence", which makes it "highly engaging". Stats given to Newsbeat by TikTok—which called Love Island "one of the most influential entertainment franchises" on the app—suggest he is right. In the US, #LoveIsland appeared in 1.09 million posts and #LoveIslandUSA was tagged in 502,000 posts, though the US population is nearly five times the size of the UK's.
US entertainment journalist Carly Thomas, who works for The Hollywood Reporter, says executive producers have told her they look for ways to "bring in the US audience", whether through social media, challenges, or the islanders they choose. "I think for the US audience, we love to just relate and connect with people," Thomas says. She also feels the US edition wants to "push the limits" of the islanders with intense challenges, and viewers "love to see how far they'll go", including a challenge hosted by Megan Thee Stallion where contestants sat on cakes and threw them at each other.
However, Love Island USA has not been all smooth sailing. Contestants in last year's series faced relentless online bullying, which forced the show to broadcast a statement saying it does not tolerate "cyberbullying, harassment or hate" and insisting it takes duty of care seriously.
The US version runs for six weeks once a year, while the UK summer edition typically airs across eight weeks. There is also now an additional series in the UK throughout the year, with a winter edition airing in 2020 and 2023, which has now been succeeded by All Stars. The finale of the third All Stars version, which sees ex-islanders return to the villa, attracted about 910,000 viewers earlier this year.
During the most recent UK series, producers tried to get hearts racing and TikTok numbers up by introducing some new twists. A few islanders were summoned for a sleepover at a different villa before Casa Amor, and for the first time, only three couples were in the final after two pairs got dramatically dumped. While some fans appreciated the changes, others, like Sarel, feel they did not land. Love Island superfan Dami Amoo, who has watched every episode of the UK, US, and All Star editions, says the UK series is starting to feel "overproduced". "I do think it's been on a steady decline because they're trying to give us what we want, but then they're overdoing it and then they're taking away the classic [elements]."
Amoo thinks this may have been due to budget constraints, but missed the islanders going on exciting dates and taking part in "fun activities or games" where you see their personalities more. "They've invested so much into the props, the games and all of these brands are part of the actual production," she says. "Whereas the UK version, it seems like they're just on an island somewhere just doing it on their own. You don't get a lot of hype, we don't get British celebrities contributing to the discussions."
In contrast, the US edition has been able to bring in revenue by becoming a major space for advertising, with numerous content partners and more than 1,000 media partners, according to Peacock. Evans is not surprised by the US version capitalising on brand partnerships, saying "everything's bigger, everything's brighter, everything's just very American".
As the sun sets on another run of Love Island series, what could UK producers do ahead of the next launch? Superfan Dami thinks "they should really get some real fans in the production room". She suggests: "The people that do the debriefs online, people who engage on Twitter, they should get us in a room and we tell them what we really, really want."
An ITV spokesperson told Newsbeat that the "reaction of the fans is at the heart of the show as seen in public votes and including opinions as part of the challenges." They added that Love Island UK "continues to wield huge cultural relevance, both in the UK and in the USA" and to date it has had "over 2bn streams on ITVX and remains the biggest 16-34 show in commercial television".
