SNL UK Sees 36% Drop in Ratings During Riz Ahmed’s Hosting Debut
Viewership Decline for Saturday Night Live UK Following Premiere
Saturday Night Live UK has experienced a significant decline in viewership since its debut, with nearly 100,000 fewer viewers tuning in. The latest episode, hosted by Riz Ahmed, attracted 130,100 viewers on Saturday at 10 PM, according to official overnight BARB figures provided by overnights.tv.
This represents a 36% drop compared to last week’s audience of 205,000 and a 42% decrease from the series premiere, which featured Tina Fey and drew 226,000 viewers. Despite this downturn, SNL UK still maintains a performance level above the average for Sky’s late Saturday programming. It also outperforms the original U.S. version of the show, which airs on Sky Comedy.
The recent episode showcased a cold open featuring Keir Starmer alongside Olivia Colman and Peppa Pig, as well as a parody of The Traitors that critiqued the show’s perceived racial bias.
It was anticipated that initial viewer interest would wane over time; however, fluctuations in ratings are expected based on the guest host. Ahmed himself addressed this uncertainty in his opening monologue, joking, “I’m an actor, I’m a writer, I’m a producer, and I’m a rapper. So, for those of you who don’t know who I am, clearly, neither do I.”
Sky appears to be taking a measured approach to evaluating SNL, looking beyond immediate overnight ratings. The company plans to assess the overall performance of the series, including the reception of individual sketches. Last week’s cold open featuring Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has already garnered more than 2 million views on YouTube, becoming the most-watched sketch on the platform to date.
Historically, Sky has not placed heavy emphasis on overnight ratings. The broadcaster has favored metrics that encompass repeat broadcasts and catch-up viewing, indicating that the live audience numbers are just one part of the overall picture of the show’s success.
