ITV announces two series of Love Island in 2020 after record-breaking success

ITV (LON:ITV) has confirmed that there will be two series of Love Island on ITV2 during 2020, as opposed to the one summer series per year format the show previously followed.

Love Island, ITV2’s reality TV show where young singles must couple up, find love and compete for a £50,000 cash prize, is the most watched programme of the year for adults aged 16-34 across any channel.

This year’s series hit new heights, breaking the 6 million viewers mark for the first time, in terms of four-screen consolidated viewing.

Love Island’s controversial nature has amounted a wave of backlash, however, with calls for the safeguarding of the contestant’s mental health growing in recent months.

Being “normal” people, the contestants who take part in the show risk not being able to cope with the fast rise to fame once they leave the Majorca-based villa in which the series is set.

In addition to the mental health of the contestants, Love Island also raises concerns for the Mental Health Foundation because it targets younger audiences who most probably already experience some kind of anxiety concerning their body.

Despite this, Love Island is back in early 2020 with the first series of the year set in a new villa in South Africa.

“Off the back of a record-breaking year, we’re delighted to be bringing an extra series of our biggest and sunniest show to the 2020 schedule,” Paul Mortimer, Head of Digital Channels and Acquisitions at ITV, commented on the announcement.

“Love Island has proven yet again to be the perfect format that engages younger audiences. In response to this viewer appetite, a new batch of young singletons will deliver some highly anticipated post-Christmas romance and drama from our new and luxurious location,” Paul Mortimer continued.

Earlier this month, we took a look at whether or not Love Island was worth the controversial backlash for ITV2.

Shares in ITV plc (LON:ITV) were trading at -1.13% as of 14.00 BST Thursday.

Previous articleXP Power books lower first half profits
Next articleBank of England holds interest rates at 0.75%