From thrilling sporting events and celebrity style at Cannes to Eurovision’s best and worst (sorry, Look Mum No Computer!) performances, engagement across Ozone’s Audience Connection Platform surged last week around huge pop culture and sport moments.
Topical News
Music & Audio surged 46% – the week’s standout mover. Eurovision 2026 dominated throughout, with Bulgaria claiming a historic first-ever victory at the Vienna Grand Final on 16 May. Television, up 27%, was lifted by a 20x increase in Music TV engagement. In other music news, Madonna, Shakira and BTS have been announced as the World Cup final halftime show performers.
Books & Literature climbed 21% in peak International Booker Prize season, with the winner announcement due at Tate Modern on 19 May generating strong shortlist coverage all week. With holiday reading season incoming, Best-sellers engagement grew 3.5x.
Technology & Computing rose 12%, with the Elon Musk vs. OpenAI trial driving the tech news agenda. Sam Altman took the stand on 12 May, accused of “stealing a charity” by converting OpenAI from non-profit to commercial enterprise. AI engagement is up 35% as a result.
Seasonal Events
Sport posted 83m page views – the year’s second highest total – as the domestic football season drew to a close. Celtic’s dramatic fifth successive Scottish Premiership title and Manchester City’s FA Cup win over Chelsea drove Football up 5%. Golf jumped 35% on Aaron Rai’s PGA Championship victory, making him the first English winner in over a century. The Red Roses’ eighth successive Women’s Six Nations title lifted Rugby 16%, while a Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano bout pushed Martial Arts up 10%.
Style & Fashion edged up 5% with the Cannes International Film Festival in full swing, driving Cinema & Events to 25% growth week-on-week.
Education rose 12% as GCSE and A-Level exam season took hold, boosting Educational Assessments page views by 43%. Finally, a 15% week-on-week increase for Careers has been driven by ongoing negotiations between TfL bosses and London Underground unions to avoid this week’s planned Tube strikes.
