'SNL UK' ratings plummet 36% to record low for Riz Ahmed episode

Saturday Night Live UK experienced a decline of nearly 100,000 viewers since its launch.

The third episode of the series, presented by Riz Ahmed, attracted 130,100 viewers at 10PM on Sky, based on the latest overnight BARB statistics from overnights.tv.

The show's viewership, which accounted for a 1.8% share, dropped by 36% from last week's 205,000 viewers and 42% from the series premiere hosted by Tina Fey, which had 226,000 viewers.

SNL UK still outperforms the average program on Sky at this late Saturday time slot. It also continues to surpass the American version of the sketch show aired on Sky Comedy.

Saturday's episode included a sketch featuring Keir Starmer and company, with appearances by Olivia Colman and Peppa Pig, alongside a parody of The Traitors, poking fun at the show's perceived unintentional racial bias.

It was anticipated that SNL might experience a decline in viewers after the initial curiosity about the series, yet ratings could vary based on the episode's host.

Even Ahmed noted in his opening that he might be unfamiliar to some in the audience. “I’m involved in acting, writing, producing, and rapping. So, if you don’t know me, it appears I’m a mystery to myself as well,” the Four Lions entertainer quipped.

Sky will not solely base its judgment of SNL on its overnight ratings. The Comcast-owned network will look at the show’s broader impact, with the popularity of individual skits being a key factor.

The Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sketch from last week has been viewed over 2 million times on YouTube, marking it as the most popular skit on the platform so far.

Sky has historically placed less emphasis on overnight ratings. Even before streaming's evolution, the broadcaster relied on metrics that considered reruns and on-demand viewing, indicating that the live portion is merely one indicator of Saturday Night Live’s success.