ITV cancels winter Love Island

Love Island’s next instalment will now be in summer 2021

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has cancelled the next winter edition of reality dating format Love Island because of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The summer instalment of the show, which would have been airing on ITV2 now, was cancelled in May because of the Covid-19 crisis, and will return next summer with an extended run.

The winter season was due to air in January 2021 but preproduction would be beginning shortly in South Africa and, according to ITV, the producers have decided it would be more beneficial to concentrate on one bumper season next summer rather than two separate instalments in 2021, given the ongoing uncertainty.

An ITV spokesman said: “Love Island UK will return bigger and better than ever with an extended run in summer 2021.”

The decision has ramifications for the show’s producer and distributor, ITV Studios, which is already being hit by the production lockdown in place across Europe.