After the final, viewers could be forced to bid farewell to for longer than usual – as it could potentially be the last episode of the show.
Judges Torvill and Dean have retired their skates after on the competition series last month. Insiders from the channel suggest that the Sunday night series, hosted by and Stephen Mulhern, is likely to be axed next year due to plummeting ratings – a stark contrast from its prime when 12 million viewers tuned in.
Last year, the show recorded its smallest live audience ever when only 2.9 million watched one episode, a decrease of 700,000 from the 3.6 million who had watched the opening episode a few weeks prior.
This year, the show could only muster 2.9 million for the launch, and by the fifth episode another half a million viewers had vanished, leaving just 2.4 million.
This indicates that over the past two years Dancing on Ice has lost more than a million viewers, with the 2023 launch attracting 4.1 million but this series never exceeding 3 million, according to official overnight ratings from BARB.
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Dancing on Ice’s hosts Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby (Image: ITV)
TV bosses are reportedly concerned that the only way to justify the hefty production costs of Dancing on Ice is by drawing in a blockbuster audience, which seems elusive.
According to an insider: “There are very real fears this is the end of the road for Dancing on Ice. It’s had a good run for nearly 20 years and has a very loyal set of viewers who really love it but the sad truth is there’s just not enough of them.
“We need bums on seats but the ratings have dropped to a point where it’s difficult to justify the cost,” reports .
The show’s celebrity contestants, who number 12 each season, command six-figure fees due to the extensive training required for their performances.
ITV also shells out considerable sums for hosts Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern, the dozen professional ice-skaters, and the four judges, including ice-skating icons Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, as well as Strictly sensation and dance maestro Ashley Banjo.
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Dancing on Ice could end this year after disappointing ratings (Image: ITV)
Addressing the speculation, an ITV spokeswoman told The Mirror: “The Dancing on Ice team is fully concentrating on the much anticipated series finale this coming Sunday and therefore no decision has been made.”
She pointed out that when catch-up viewing figures were included, the series had averaged 3 million viewers across the current season, bolstered by 3.6 million streams on ITVX.
Michaela Strachan, who’s partnered with Mark Hanretty, is pegged as the firm favourite to win the trophy next Sunday, with bookies placing her odds at evens. Should she secure victory, she’ll be the first female winner since gymnast Beth Tweddle in 2013.
The beloved wildlife presenter remains the last woman standing in the competition, competing against ‘s Sam Aston, TOWIE’s Dan Edgar, and ex-footballer Anton Ferdinand.