1point 3 million people tuned into ITV2 to watch the return of Love Island live on Monday, according to overnight ratings, down one million from this time last year.
Compared to the launch episode four years prior, the 2022 summer series premiere averaged a 2 point 4 million TV audience.
The decline coincides with reports that the dating show may have lost some of its appeal.
ITV reported that Monday's ratings increased to 1.7 million when streaming data from ITVX was taken into account.
According to the broadcaster, Love Island had the second-highest viewership in its time slot and had the largest audience of the day among viewers aged 16 to 34.
Fans observed a number of differences from earlier seasons, with the new islanders being startled by the arrival of the boys and girls simultaneously.
Hannah Verdier, a TV critic for The Sun, stated that "producers are obviously thinking Love Island fatigue is in danger of creeping in, so there was a 'cheeky little twist' in the opening episode.".
Furthermore, series 10 began in Mallorca with presenter Maya Jama in charge, with the public having already chosen the initial pairings.
The producers dared the women to admit whether or not they were dissatisfied with their partners, and they also kept the new competitors on their toes by revealing the first bombshell.
Newer rivals like I Kissed a Boy on BBC Three, the first gay dating program in the UK, compete with Love Island.
Verdier wrote in his article about the diversity of the Love Island contestants: "Anyone who didn't fit the gym-honed body type seemed to have missed the plane, along with a single contestant who'd strayed from the super straight road.
Maybe they'd all rush to kiss Dannii Minogue for the warmth and allure of I Kissed A Boy (soon to be followed by I Kissed A Girl). ".
It was all very copy and paste, regrettably; it appears that Love Island needs that long overdue format shake-up right about now, according to Metro's reviewer Tori Brazier. ".
The funny "unscripted moments that can't really be forced," she continued, "are there, and we can only hope that there will be more gems heading our way over the next - potentially very long - eight weeks."
