Is Christmas TV as we know it over for good?
When I worked in Topshop as a teenager, our Christmas party almost always coincided with the X Factor final. It was festivity at its finest: we’d all crowd around the screen in our itchy sequins, prosecco glistening in hand, and hold our breath as the winner was announced. We’d screech – or groan – when the likes of Matt Cardle or Sam Bailey won the coveted title, before dancing the night away to the winner’s song in a glam Birmingham nightclub.
Days later, I’d recreate a similar scene at home. Only this time, after the presents were unwrapped and the roast potatoes had been demolished, it was the explosive EastEnders Christmas special we settled down to devour, having googled a year’s worth of storylines minutes before.
Fast-forward a decade or two, and things look a little different. Simon Cowell’s singing competition was cancelled in 2021, while last year’s final of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here lost five million viewers compared with the year before. Meanwhile, our viewing habits have changed completely; research shows 16 to 34-year-olds are watching less TV, instead gobbling up content on YouTube and social media, while over 78% of UK consumers now watch streaming platforms.
With the likes of Prime Video and Disney+ to turn to, we’re no longer agonising over finding that perfect festive film on terrestrial TV. Just think of the chokehold Vanessa Hudgens and Netflix had us in with The Knight Before Christmas and The Princess Switch (plus its two sequels,) not forgetting the A Christmas Prince series. Then there was Dash & Lily, Love Hard, Holidate… The list of films we can watch whenever we feel the urge goes on.
While we may not all be watching the same thing at the same time, we are still tuning in – it’s just the way we do so has changed. In December 2021, Netflix’s Don’t Look Up smashed records for the most hours streamed in its first week of release, while 1.66billion minutes of Soul were watched over two days on Disney+.
In fact, ensuring we’ve seen all the streaming services have to offer so we can dissect every scene with our friends or join the collective sigh of ‘cheese’ on Twitter is almost becoming a December tradition in itself. And isn’t this what the true magic of Christmas specials has always been, anyway? Maybe it’s never been about when or on what channel we’re viewing TV, but the nature of gathering a group together (Quality Street in tow) and having a shared experience.
While Christmases of the past have involved 10 days of festive scheduling, the availability of festive content from, essentially, whenever you like, creates even more of a buzz. TV is there to be consumed however you and your loved ones please, rather than having to plan your day around the TV guide. For me? I’ll be watching Netflix’s new Falling For Christmas and The Noel Diary, and who knows, maybe a Gavin & Stacey rerun in between.
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