This week’s news was split between big sporting moments and the final festive rush. Major fixtures boosted Sport, while last-minute Christmas shopping drove sharp growth across Shopping, Family and festive content as Brits prepared for the week ahead.
Topical News
A big sporting week has pushed Sport content, up 7%, into the limelight. The long awaited Joshua vs. Paul boxing match over the weekend reached a head on Friday night as the Netflix-streamed match came to a close after six rounds. Joshua emerged victorious, leaving Paul with a broken jaw and supercharging Boxing content by a smashing 5.3x.
Over in cricket, England suffering a heart wrenching loss to Australia, who beat England by 82 runs. The loss has boosted Cricket content by 2.4x as Brits turn to find out what went so wrong for England. Meanwhile, the PDC World Darts Championship on the weekend saw Luke Littler, the youngest darts champion in history, progress to the next stage. This news has boosted Darts content by 2x.
Business & Finance has grown 23% as the race to acquire Warner Bros Discovery took a new twist. WBD advised its shareholders to reject Paramount Skydance’s bid, putting Netflix in the driving seat. Elsewhere, British retailer Toolstream entered administration, boosted Retail content by 43%.
Seasonal Events
Festive Shopping is taking over this week’s news content as the last-minute rush for Christmas shopping reaches a peak. Shopping itself is up a jolly 10%, with Sales & Promotions driving growth in the category with a huge 3.5x boost as Brits hunt for last-minute deals. Christmas Shopping has jingled its way up 35%, and Gifting is up 18%.
With the week of Christmas upon us, Family & Relationships continues to surge as Brits look forward to a week of family time. Parenting is up 19%, while Parenting Babies & Toddlers has boosted 82% as many families prepare for their first Christmases together.
As the family festive feels ramp up, Christmas TV has jingled its way up 2.5x.
Events & Attractions, up 8% WoW, has not been exempt from the Christmas surge as families and friends alike look for festive activities to enjoy together. And ahead of Christmas and Boxing day National & Civic Bank Holidays has surged a merry 3x, and Religious Events 55%.
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