This series of Love Island has already broken television ratings records

It only just started!

love island ratings
(Image credit: ITV)

It only just started!

You knew Love Island was going to be massive this year, but we never expected it to smash television records. And we're only a couple of episodes in.

Although Dr. Alex may not have gotten the smooch he wanted last night and might be the first departure, ITV2 has revealed that the reality show has gotten a lot of love this season. The pilot episode which launched on Monday evening blew through television records for the channel, securing the most watched slot on telly that evening with 2.9 million viewers - peaking at a whopping 3.4 million.

love island ratings

ITV
(Image credit: ITV)

It's a big step up and more than double last year's cycle, as the first episode drew a respectable 1.3 million eyeballs when it first launched. In fact, the first episode of Love Island 2018 even beat the ratings for the finale last year which came in at 2.6 million.

As for who's watching? Well, it's no surprise that over half of the people watching were aged 16-34 years old. In fact, nearly half of all people watching telly that night tuned in for Love Island which is pretty massive.

love island ratings

(Image credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

How does these ratings compare to previous seasons though? Well, the first episode of series 2 only had 825 thousand viewers while series 1 came in at a much lower 597 thousand. Love it or hate it, the Love Island series is definitely a television beast to be reckoned with - if that BAFTA they won last year didn't tell you that already.

The third episode of Love Island will be shown on ITV2 at 9pm tonight.

Megan C. Hills

Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband.