Unwrapping Christmas TV: What Captivated Audiences This Holiday Season

Were you one of the 17m people who tuned in to BBC1 at 9pm on Christmas day to watch Gavin and Stacey? I am hoping the answer is yes!  

Christmas 2024 brought some amazing content across Linear, VOD and Streaming for viewers, with millions of viewers across many channels and platforms. Here are a few highlights… 

As mentioned, Gavin and Stacy topped the viewing charts of linear TV, with 17.2m people watching the final ever episode, to finally see (spoiler alert!) Nessa and Smithy tie the knot! Christmas day also drove the highest Festive Film audience with 13.7m people sitting down with their families watching Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl at 6.15pm 

Away from the BBC and onto commercial channels now, where millions tuned in to watch Vera (5.3m on 1st & 2nd Jan), The 1% Club ( 4.2m on 26th Dec), Coronation Street (Avg 3.8m views per episode across the week) and The Masked Singer (3.9m) on ITV1. Channel 5 drove viewership for All Creatures Great and Small (3.3m), whilst Channel 4 was host to The Big Fat Quiz of The Year 2024 (2.8m) and Great British Bake Off Festive Specials (2.8m) 

This festive period has also seen some great sporting moments, bringing people together – Who can say they’re not impressed by the youngest ever Darts World Champion Luke Littler! Do you know what else is impressive?... The final attracted record viewing figures of over 3m, which is higher than any other non-football event in 2024.  

Alongside Linear TV, Netflix also had some great content launching for this period, which topped the UK charts! TV shows included the return of Squid Game: Season 2 and Virgin River: Season 6, alongside the release of Black Doves: Season 1. Films included Christmas classics such as Dr Seuss’ The Grinch and The Holiday, as well as new for 2024 releases such as That Christmas and Carry On! 

However and wherever you watch your broadcast content, there really was something for everyone this festive season! Watch out 2025 for some amazing upcoming shows such as Britain’s Got Talent, Love Island All Stars, The Great British Bake Off, I’m A Celebrity, Formula 1, Premier League, Six Nations, Landscape Artist of the Year, The Great Pottery Show Down and much more! 

Source: Techedge, BARB; WC 23rd Dec 2024 – 05th Jan 2025; All Adults, UK