June’s UK and European heatwave lifted engagement across multiple categories last week as record temperatures tumbled over consecutive days. Weather (2.7x), Healthy Living (+67%), Careers (+47%), Home & Garden (+39%), Pets (+16%) and Education (+8%) all saw growth as Brits sought trusted advice on how to cool themselves, their homes, and their pets, as well as how to cope with school closures and working in the heat.
Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as Prime Minister and Labour leader early last week drove News & Politics audience engagement across the Ozone platform. Starmer’s likely replacement, Andy Burnham – the former Greater Manchester Mayor sworn in as an MP following his decisive Makefield by-election victory the previous week – has also boosted engagement in Taxes (+73%) and Property (+27%). This surge follows intense speculation over Burnham’s top Cabinet picks and his future policy direction.
Elsewhere, pre-orders for GTA 6 went live last week. Despite news that the game will bypass a physical release, anticipation drove +20% Console Games engagement.
Finally, the devastating Venezuelan earthquakes – which laid waste to Caracas, displaced millions, and led to a terrible loss of life – lifted Science (2.3x) engagement. Unlike other technology platforms, Ozone guarantees brand safety for advertisers when hard news dominates the agenda.
Summer sports continue at a pace, with Brits enjoying a plethora of events beyond football. While Wimbledon begins this week, audiences grew over the past seven days for Rugby (10%), Cricket (10%) and Darts (70%). This growth built up during warm-up matches ahead of the Nations Championship – billed as the North vs South competition – and England’s Test series against New Zealand, during which talismanic captain Ben Stokes announced his retirement from international cricket. Darts engagement was further boosted as Luke Humphries defeated Luke Littler at the US Darts Masters in New York.
Sticking Stateside, the World Cup entered its third week. Scotland’s tournament exit and coach Steve Clarke’s subsequent resignation may have disappointed Scottish fans, but the Tartan Army’s good-natured support won the hearts of their US host cities. England’s progress to the round-of-32 knockout stage – with the Three Lions taking on DR Congo this Wednesday at 5pm – was confirmed prior to their 2-0 victory over Panama, yet audience engagement remained high. At 10m weekly users, our Football audience remains 50% higher than the 25/26 season average, with Saturday’s match-day audience up by more than a fifth day-on-day.
Amazon Prime Day sales further boosted retail interest last week, driving Ecommerce engagement up by 16% week-on-week.
