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Big Brother 2017 finale: Channel 5 plummets in ratings as Love Island scores record for ITV2

Turns out, people have moved onto their new favourite reality TV show

Jack Shepherd
Sunday 30 July 2017 09:41 BST
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Over the summer, there was only one reality TV show everyone was talking about: Love Island.

Before consolidated viewing figures were accounted for, the total number of people who watched the series finale totalled 2.43 million, becoming ITV 2's most watched programme ever. Amber Davies and Kem Cetinay were crowned winners, taking home the £50,000 prize money.

However, whilst attention may have been firmly upon the island paradise, there was actually another reality show ongoing: Big Brother.

The series finale for the previously much-loved series reached an all-time low, averaging just over 900,000 viewers, down from the previous Friday. 600,000 more people watched last year’s finale and 400,000 more in 2015.

According to TellyMix, the 2017 series averaged a total of 250,000 viewers less than the previous year, standing at 900,000 across its 54 days. With catch-up TV added, that figure goes up to 1.2 million, still down from 2016’s 1.6 million. Turns out the nation just didn't care about Big Brother once Love Island got going.

Channel 5 currently has one more series tied into its contract with programme makers Endemol, not including the upcoming Celebrity Big Brother which, itself, has taken on a rather Love Island-esque look.

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