SNL UK Hits Series Low Viewership During Eurovision Clash!

Saturday Night Live UK, in its debut season, ended on a disappointing note in terms of viewership.

Competing against the popular Eurovision Song Contest on BBC One, Sky’s version of the beloved NBC sketch show recorded its lowest viewership of the season.

Hosting the finale, Ncuti Gatwa of Sex Education fame, attracted only 86,420 viewers at 10 PM, marking a 28% drop from its prior low of 120,000 viewers when Jack Whitehall was host.

This viewership was significantly lower than the 197,200 viewers that Hannah Waddingham, star of Ted Lasso, brought in the previous week. Below is a complete viewership breakdown.

Meanwhile, over at the BBC, the Eurovision Song Contest, which saw Bulgaria’s Dara win with her song “Bangaranga,” was viewed by an average of 5.2 million people, peaking at 5.9 million, according to live BARB figures from overnights.tv.

Despite the victory, the Eurovision viewership was notably lower than the previous year’s average of 6.7 million viewers.

The true measure of SNL UK’s success isn’t solely based on overnight ratings. The show’s audience typically triples when accounting for catchup, streaming, and repeat viewings. Additionally, its sketches frequently go viral, helping to bolster its online presence.

This performance has been sufficient for Sky to renew SNL UK for a second season, set to return in September.

Knowing the stiff competition it faced, SNL opened with a skit featuring British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s fictional Eurovision party being interrupted by aspiring Labour leaders. In the same episode, Louis Theroux made a guest appearance, and Gatwa humorously referenced his role as Doctor Who.