With Christmas just days away, audience behaviour is firmly in festive mode. Engagement is climbing across Family & Relationships, Events & Attractions, Video Games, Holiday Shopping and Healthy Living, as people spend more time together, plan seasonal outings, hunt for last-minute gifts and start thinking ahead to the new year.
Topical News
The Strictly Come Dancing semi-final saw Brits waltzing to related content as the contestants for next week’s finale were confirmed. Arts & Culture stepped up 24%, with a focus on Dance, up 54%. Engagement will continue grow ahead of next week’s show stopping final.
Elsewhere, Books & Literature has topped the charts as a leading gifting category, up 35%. Fiction rose 44%, Children’s Literature up 25% and Bestsellers surged 14.4x as Brits looked for the best reads of the year. Engagement has been further fuelled by renewed attention on the ‘Queen of romantic comedy’, novelist Sophie Kinsella, after her untimely death, with tributes to her work and legacy driving a fresh wave of interest across the category.
Netflix and Paramount’s battle for the multi-billion dollar rights of Warner Bros continues, and audiences can’t get enough. Business & Finance has surged 10% WoW with the Business and Merger & Acquisitions topics up 10% and 6% respectively, as Brits explore what this change could mean for the film industry.
This news has also impacted the Film category, up 4% WoW, as audiences explore what franchises may be impacted and what changes to expect.. Growth in the film category is further impacted ‘blockbuster season’ as many big films released over the holidays, with Fantasy Movies (up 4.4x) Crime & Mystery Movies (up 2.4x) and Comedy Movies (up 73%) all seeing the largest boosts.
Seasonal Events
It’s the week before Christmas and our Audience Connection Platform is feeling the festive lift. With schools across the UK breaking up for winter holidays, seasonal behaviours are coming to the forefront. Family & Relationships is up 4%, WoW led by Parenting, up 19%, and Parenting Teens, up 14%, as families get set to spend more time together.
Events & Attractions has also seen a festive boost, rising 4%, with Bars & Restaurants up 25%, Religious Events up 16%, and Cinemas & Events up 13%, as Brits seek ways to celebrate with loved ones.
Meanwhile, The Game Awards 2025 has levelled up the Video Gaming category, with page views soaring 33% as gamers read up on the best games of the year. Interest surged most sharply in Mobile Games (+2.5x), Action-Adventure Games (+2x) and Action Games (+61%). With this spike landing in peak holiday shopping, video games are moving from a must-play to must-gift.
Christmas Shopping content, up 19%, continues to land front and centre, as Brits research last-minute gifts, with Children’s Games & Toys still sparking engagement, up 14%.
Healthy Living, up 9% is returning to the spotlight as 2026 approaches. This renewed focus has been further accelerated by the emergence of a new ‘super flu’, which has overwhelmed parts of the NHS and sharpened interest in Wellness content, which has surged by 54%.
