Soaps, Reality and Drama Push ITVX to Record Breaking January
Soaps, Reality and Drama Deliver ITVX’s Biggest Month Yet
January 2026 proved a landmark month for ITV, with ITVX achieving its highest ever streaming total. The platform recorded 383 million streams across the month, surpassing its previous peak in June 2024, when England’s run to the final of the men’s Euros drove exceptional viewing figures.
This time, however, the growth was not reliant on a single live sporting event. Instead, it reflected the combined pull of flagship soaps, youth skewing reality and a robust drama slate. The result signals a platform that is building sustained engagement across genres rather than depending on one off moments.
A Soap Event That Paid Off
A major driver of January’s performance was the crossover between Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The event became ITV’s most watched programme of the month, attracting 5.9 million viewers across consolidated TV and streaming.
Beyond the headline figure, the longer-term impact on ITVX was significant. Together, Coronation Street and Emmerdale generated 65 million streams in January, marking their strongest month on record and comfortably exceeding previous highs. Streaming of ITV’s continuing dramas overall rose 48 percent year on year.
A shift in release strategy helped amplify this momentum. Episodes were structured into 30-minute instalments and made available on ITVX early each weekday morning, aligning with streaming habits and giving viewers the flexibility to watch on their own schedule. It reflects a broader evolution in how traditional broadcasters are adapting core brands for digital consumption.
Reality Remains a Magnet for Younger Viewers
While soaps delivered volume, Love Island maintained its dominance among 16 to 34 year olds. Love Island All Stars achieved 40 million streams during January, making it the leading streaming title for that age group among commercial competitors, including broadcaster video on demand services and ad supported subscription tiers.
For advertisers, this performance underlines ITVX’s continued relevance in reaching younger audiences at scale within an ad funded environment. In a fragmented streaming market, consistently delivering large numbers in this demographic remains a strong competitive advantage.
Drama’s Depth Strengthens the Platform
Drama was the top performing genre on ITVX in January. Commissioned titles such as Red Eye series one and two generated more than 25 million streams combined, while acquired titles including The Hunting Wives also performed strongly.
The broader line up featured new runs of After the Flood and Grantchester, alongside acquired series such as 61st Street and Grosse Pointe Garden Society. Established archive titles including Midsomer Murders, Vera and Downton Abbey continued to attract steady viewing.
January drama streams reached their highest level since early 2024, demonstrating the value of a layered content strategy that blends new commissions, acquisitions and well-loved back catalogue programming.
A Broader Streaming Milestone
January also marked another significant achievement for ITVX, as the platform surpassed 10 billion streams since launching in December 2022. Ongoing product updates, including homepage refreshes, improved discovery tools and simplified sign in processes, have helped attract new users while encouraging longer viewing sessions.
Crucially, ITV has stated that ITVX outperformed the ad tiers of other broadcasters and global streamers during January 2026. In an increasingly competitive ad funded streaming market, that claim positions the platform as a serious contender for both audiences and advertisers.
What This Means for Advertisers
For brands, the record month is not simply about a headline number. It reflects the strength of established British programming in a streaming environment, the continued pulling power of reality formats among younger viewers, and the importance of release strategies that fit modern consumption habits.
Rather than relying solely on sport or event television, ITVX demonstrated that consistent, recognisable brands such as Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Love Island can anchor digital growth when supported by a deep drama offering.
January 2026 was not a spike built on novelty. It was the result of combining legacy franchises with streaming first thinking. For advertisers looking for scale within an ad supported ecosystem, that combination is increasingly hard to ignore.