Further detail: January 2025 TV market detail page | TV Market Update hub.
January 2025: final editorial review
- The Traitors – BBC – 20.4m
- Call the Midwife – BBC – 15.4m
- Silent Witness – BBC – 14.1m
- Death in Paradise – BBC – 13.9m
- Playing Nice – ITV – 13.6m
- The Apprentice – BBC – 12.7m
- Gladiators – BBC – 11.7m
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show – BBC – 11.5m
- The Traitors: Uncloaked – BBC – 11.5m
- Out There – ITV – 10.7m
January was a BBC-heavy month at the top of the audience table, led by The Traitors, Call the Midwife, Silent Witness and Death in Paradise. That tells us where the national conversation was, but not where most advertisers could buy spots. The commercial opportunity was more focused: ITV drama Playing Nice and Out There gave planners buyable drama reach, while ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Channel 5 and BVOD carried the practical advertising weight around a very strong BBC cultural moment.
Campaign activity was classic new-year: travel, fitness, value retail, finance, insurance, food delivery and grocery. The better TV briefs were not just chasing cheap January airtime; they were using TV to rebuild trust and salience after Christmas discounting. Storm Eowyn brought red warnings and disruption late in the month, which would have supported news viewing and changed routines. Politically, the economy, public services and the first full January of the Labour government kept cost-of-living messaging relevant.
The buying read: use the BBC numbers as evidence that shared TV moments still exist, but buy the commercial equivalents. January was a good value window for reach repair, especially if a plan mixed peak ITV drama, broader commercial multichannel, BVOD and late availability.
January 2025: full market review update
BARB audience sizes are used as context; BBC/SVOD peaks are not spot-buyable, so the buying job is to find commercial equivalents.
- The Traitors (BBC, 20.4m) – audience context, not spot-buyable.
- Call the Midwife (BBC, 15.4m) – audience context, not spot-buyable.
- Silent Witness (BBC, 14.1m) – audience context, not spot-buyable.
- Death in Paradise (BBC, 13.9m) – audience context, not spot-buyable.
- Playing Nice (ITV, 13.6m) – commercially buyable.
- The Apprentice (BBC, 12.7m) – audience context, not spot-buyable.
- Gladiators (BBC, 11.7m) – audience context, not spot-buyable.
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (BBC, 1
January 2025: market review update
This update adds the monthly audience context from BARB’s public As Viewed weekly top 50, plus the wider commercial signals that matter for TV buying: campaign activity, politics, weather and news. BBC and SVOD entries are useful as signs of national attention, but they are not spot-buyable commercial TV inventory.
Top 10 programmes to note
- The Traitors (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- Call the Midwife (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- Silent Witness (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- Death in Paradise (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- Playing Nice (ITV) – commercially buyable TV context.
- The Apprentice (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- Gladiators (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- The Traitors: Uncloaked (BBC) – audience context, not spot-buyable commercial inventory.
- Out There (ITV) – commercially buyable TV context.
Commercial opportunities
The buyable story in the list was Playing Nice on ITV, Out There on ITV. These environments matte
January 2025 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
For commercial TV, January was about dependable appointment viewing and restart budgets. ITV entertainment, ITV Racing, Sky Sports Premier League coverage, Channel 4 factual entertainment and Channel 5 factual strands all gave planners buyable contexts after Christmas. The point is not simply which programme topped a chart; it is whether the audience was available inside an advertising environment with enough reach, frequency and brand safety.
Advertiser and category movement
Retail, travel, insurance, finance, gyms, food delivery and value-led FMCG were the most logical January categories. After a soft trading mood in parts of 2024, advertisers were looking for efficient reach rather than vanity spots. Brands with short-term response needs could use daytime, multichannel and BVOD, while bigger brand advertisers still needed peak ITV, Channel 4 and Sky coverage to reset awareness quickly.
Broadcaster, agency and platform news
The market started the year with broadcaster video increasingly sold as one planning universe: linear, BVOD and connected TV. That mattered because agency conversations were less about linear decline and more about how to combine mass reach with addressability. Thinkbox figures later confirmed that UK TV ad investment had returned to growth in 2024, helped by FMCG and retail demand.
Cost of TV and buying conditions
January usually gives buyers more negotiable value than Q4. The best value was likely outside the most obvious peak entertainment and live sport. Advertisers that could be flexible on daypart, copy length and broadcaster mix had room to build frequency at sensible CPTs, especially before spring demand hardened.
Media buying view
- Use January TV for reach repair after the Christmas sales period, not just tactical response.
- Separate buyable commercial impacts from general TV conversation; not every big audience is an ad opportunity.
- Hold some budget for late availability where broadcaster packages need filling.
Useful source links