The early May bank Holiday weekend marked the first heatwave of the year for the UK. The warm weather saw a surge in BBQ content as Brits flocked outside to enjoy the sun, with online audiences turning to Ozone partners to keep up to date with the weather changes.
The local elections also created a buzz around News and Politics content as readers stayed up to date with the changes to their local council.
Topical News
It was a scorcher last week, with UK temperatures soaring to 27°C, cue a double-digit spike in Weather engagement, up +11% to 4.9m page views. The warm weather had Brits reaching for the tongs, with BBQ page views seeing a fiery boost of +74%. From recipe inspiration to grilling tips, food content sizzled across the board.
But it wasn’t all sunshine – cyber attacks hit UK retailers, leading to empty shelves and a 3x surge in interest around Hacking news page views, as readers tried to understand what went wrong.
News & Politics also had a big week. Following the Local Council Elections, we saw a strong uplift of 10x higher page views for related content as readers dived into local results. Globally, interest surged too – with Mark Carney’s win in Canada and Anthony Albanese re-election in Australia driving overall Politics growth.
Seasonal Events
Celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day began across the early May bank holiday weekend, as Brits were treated to national and local events. Kicking off with a military parade in central London – featuring a Red Arrows flypast observed by the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace – street parties took place across the country.
Engagement with Bank Holidays content increased by more than a third, while page views for Party Supplies more than doubled. And, because there’s no bigger celeb brood than the Windsors – other than, perhaps, the Beckhams – engagement with Celebrity Families grew by more than 80%.
Elsewhere, the start of the 2025 primary and secondary education exam season, with SATs, GCSEs and A-levels all beginning this month, drove engagement with Education content. Page views rose +6% week on week.
