Further detail: February 2026 TV market detail page | TV Market Update hub.
February 2026: final editorial review
- Call the Midwife – BBC – 12.9m
- Silent Witness – BBC – 12.8m
- Small Prophets – BBC – 12.0m
- Death in Paradise – BBC – 11.8m
- Britain’s Got Talent – ITV – 11.1m
- The Apprentice – BBC – 10.5m
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – BBC – 10.5m
- Gladiators – BBC – 9.9m
- The 1% Club – ITV – 9.6m
- Coronation Street – ITV – 8.4m
February 2026 had fewer commercial entries than February 2025, but ITV still had Britain’s Got Talent, The 1% Club and Coronation Street in the mix. Those mattered because they were the accessible route to broad TV attention while the BBC held many of the biggest individual audiences.
Campaign activity sat around travel, finance, automotive, grocery, entertainment and early World Cup planning. The strategic question for agencies was already becoming clear: which brands needed football inventory, which could buy around it, and which should avoid the inflated centre of the market altogether.
The buying read: February remained a useful value bridge before spring and World Cup demand. Use ITV entertainment for fame, then build frequency through broader commercial TV and BVOD.
February 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
February 2026 kept commercial TV useful through sport, entertainment, factual and lifestyle schedules. ITV, Sky Sports, Channel 4, Channel 5 and UKTV could all play a role depending on whether the campaign needed young adults, families, men, older viewers or broad all-adult reach.
Advertiser and category movement
Finance, travel, automotive, grocery, retail, entertainment and telecoms brands had reasons to be visible. World Cup planning was also becoming more concrete, with brands assessing whether football inventory was a must-have or simply a halo they could activate around.
Broadcaster, agency and platform news
The bigger industry issue was budget competition. Search, social, retail media and YouTube all wanted more money, but commercial TV had a strong case where brands needed safety, scale and emotional context. Broadcaster video was increasingly sold against those strengths.
Cost of TV and buying conditions
February offered better buying conditions than Q2, though premium sport still carried price pressure. Advertisers who waited for World Cup months to build awareness risked paying more for the same basic memory-building job.
Media buying view
- Use February for efficient reach before seasonal demand rises.
- Plan World Cup roles early: sponsor, spot buyer, tactical advertiser or avoider.
- Do not let connected TV plans duplicate the same light-TV viewers too often.