This is the detail companion page for Latest In The TV Market: May 2026. It expands the May view with BARB programme data, commercial-channel highlights, market context, campaign signals, UK news and the next relevant TV planning watch.
Data basis: BARB Weekly Top 50 Shows, 7-day consolidated viewing, using all populated BARB weeks overlapping May 2026: 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026, 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026, 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026, 18 May 2026 – 24 May 2026. The week 25 May to 31 May was not populated in the public feed when checked. The programme tables dedupe repeated strands, so soaps and returning series appear once using their strongest audience across the included weeks.
Top 10 Programmes
May’s strongest deduped programme strands were led by Race Across the World, Have I Got News for You and Eurovision. This is a monthly best-of view rather than a list of every high-rating episode.
| Rank | Programme | Broadcaster | Audience | Best Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Race Across the World | BBC | 5.92m | 18 May 2026 – 24 May 2026 |
| 2 | Have I Got News for You | BBC | 5.52m | 18 May 2026 – 24 May 2026 |
| 3 | Eurovision Song Contest | BBC | 5.42m | 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026 |
| 4 | Believe Me | ITV | 4.84m | 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026 |
| 5 | Beyond Paradise | BBC | 4.80m | 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026 |
| 6 | David Attenborough’s 100 Years on Planet Earth (2026) | BBC | 4.73m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 7 | Coronation Street | ITV | 4.09m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 8 | Secret Service | ITV | 3.98m | 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026 |
| 9 | Amandaland | BBC | 3.86m | 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026 |
| 10 | Britain's Got Talent | ITV | 3.76m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
Top 15 Commercial-Channel Programmes
With BBC entries removed, the leading commercial and non-BBC environments were headed by Believe Me, Coronation Street and Secret Service. This removes repeat soap episodes and shows the strongest commercial or non-BBC programme strands across the available May weeks.
| Rank | Programme | Broadcaster | Audience | Best Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Believe Me | ITV | 4.84m | 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026 |
| 2 | Coronation Street | ITV | 4.09m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 3 | Secret Service | ITV | 3.98m | 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026 |
| 4 | Britain's Got Talent | ITV | 3.76m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 5 | Emmerdale | ITV | 3.54m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 6 | Gogglebox | Channel 4 | 3.09m | 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026 |
| 7 | A Taste For Murder | ITV | 2.70m | 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026 |
| 8 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | ITV | 2.58m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 9 | The 1% Club | ITV | 2.41m | 18 May 2026 – 24 May 2026 |
| 10 | Legends | Netflix | 2.38m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 11 | The Martin Lewis Money Show Live | ITV | 2.08m | 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026 |
| 12 | Married at First Sight Australia | Channel 4 | 2.06m | 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026 |
| 13 | Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad | ITV | 1.98m | 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026 |
| 14 | ITV Evening News | ITV | 1.97m | 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026 |
Market Insight
The market mood in May is cautious but more constructive than late 2025. The IPA Bellwether Q1 2026 reported the strongest upward revision to UK marketing budgets in almost two years, with main media and video both back in positive territory. At the same time, ITV reported Q1 total advertising revenue down 1.5%, but guided to around 10% growth in Q2, helped by the upcoming men’s football World Cup. For TV buyers, the message is practical: demand is not evenly spread, but strong reach environments, BVOD and major event adjacencies are attracting money.
The premium video buying infrastructure is also moving. Sky, Channel 4 and ITV have announced a self-service addressable advertising marketplace, powered by Comcast Advertising and FreeWheel, intended to make one-campaign access across their portfolios easier for smaller and new-to-TV advertisers. That matters because it gives commercial TV another route into performance-minded budgets that might otherwise default to social or search.
Public Campaign Signals
Publicly reported campaign activity in May points to a mix of brand-building and seasonal activation rather than a single dominant category. Hiscox brought The Most Disastrous Campaign Ever to TV on 15 May, marking its return to UK TV advertising after nearly a decade. Wagamama also had public coverage for its Food is life work around the late-May summer-menu period. These examples fit the wider pattern: TV is being used for attention, trust and fame, with digital channels carrying more of the immediate response layer.
Political And Economic Background
The May political backdrop was noisy after the English local elections. YouGov analysis suggested Labour’s 2024 voter coalition fractured in different directions, with notable movement to the Greens and Liberal Democrats, while a third of voting 2024 Conservatives moved to Reform UK. For advertisers, that points to a more fragmented public mood: value, trust, local relevance and clear proof points matter.
On the economy, the ONS reported CPI inflation at 2.8% in April 2026, down from 3.3% in March, while households remained sensitive to bills, fuel and discretionary spend. This keeps a premium on simple offers, credible claims and media placements that can build confidence quickly.
UK News And Weather
Weather was unusually important for May planning. The Met Office provisionally recorded 35.1C at Kew Gardens on 26 May, making it the second consecutive day the May and spring UK temperature record had been broken. Warm weather can move short-term response in grocery, retail, garden, leisure, travel and drinks categories, so late-copy rotation and regional weighting are worth watching when conditions swing quickly.
Upcoming TV Planning Watch
June and July are the next watch: summer travel, warmer-weather retail, leisure, grocery, Wimbledon and the final build into the FIFA World Cup. For football-relevant advertisers, May is the point to firm up tactical creative, retail tie-ins and availability around ITV commercial environments, while non-football brands should protect value in other strong programming.
Sources
- BARB Weekly Top 50 Shows, C7 public dashboard data, weeks used: 27 Apr 2026 – 03 May 2026, 04 May 2026 – 10 May 2026, 11 May 2026 – 17 May 2026, 18 May 2026 – 24 May 2026.
- IPA Bellwether Q1 2026.
- ITV plc Q1 2026 trading update.
- Comcast Advertising: Sky, Channel 4 and ITV marketplace announcement.
- YouGov local-election voter analysis.
- ONS consumer price inflation, April 2026.
- Met Office May temperature record update.
- Hiscox TV campaign note and Campaign: Wagamama Food is life.