Further detail: January 2026 TV market detail page | TV Market Update hub.
January 2026: final editorial review
- The Traitors – BBC – 24.9m
- The Traitors: Uncloaked – BBC – 16.2m
- The Night Manager – BBC – 13.4m
- Call the Midwife – BBC – 13.2m
- Death in Paradise – BBC – 12.5m
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – BBC – 11.7m
- Coronation Street – ITV – 11.5m
- The Apprentice – BBC – 11.2m
- Gladiators – BBC – 10.9m
- Lynley – BBC – 10.5m
January 2026 was again BBC-dominated, especially through The Traitors. That is useful audience evidence but not commercial spot inventory. The main buyable mass signal in the top 10 was Coronation Street, so advertisers needed to use wider commercial portfolios if they wanted to ride the same new-year TV habit.
Campaign activity was classic January: travel, fitness, finance, grocery, value retail, delivery and insurance. Weather was unsettled, with named storms including Ingrid and Chandra and flooding risk in the wider UK weather story. Politically, Reform, defections, local election positioning and public finances kept news attention lively.
The buying read: use January for efficient reach before World Cup inflation starts to bite. Brands that did not need live sport could build salience early and avoid paying summer premiums for work that could already be done.
January 2026 was a month for looking at TV as a buying market, not just a viewing habit. The useful question for advertisers was where commercial attention could still be bought with confidence, and where demand was likely to push pricing up.
Commercial programming and viewing
January 2026 was the reset month before a very sport-heavy year. Commercial TV offered dependable entertainment, factual, sport and daytime reach across ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Channel 5 and UKTV. With the FIFA World Cup coming in June, smart advertisers began thinking early about how to use TV before the market became more expensive.
Advertiser and category movement
Travel, fitness, finance, retail, grocery, streaming, entertainment and value-led brands were the natural January players. The most commercially interesting briefs were those using TV to rebuild trust after a heavy promotional Q4, not those chasing cheap impacts alone.
Broadcaster, agency and platform news
The 2026 planning conversation was already shaped by broadcaster streaming, connected TV and the coming World Cup. Agencies needed to decide which brands should pay for premium live sport and which should use surrounding programming, BVOD and tactical windows instead.
Cost of TV and buying conditions
January still offered value compared with spring and summer sport demand. However, forward demand for World Cup-related inventory meant some advertisers started reserving budgets earlier. The best January deals were flexible, multi-broadcaster and clear on audience delivery.
Media buying view
- Use January to build base reach before World Cup pricing pressure.
- Separate brands that need live sport from brands that only need football-adjacent attention.
- Use early-year value to test creative before bigger 2026 campaigns.