By Sarah Burke, Marketing and New Business Executive
Round table ready? Grab your shield – appointment-to-view TV continues to draw mass audiences. Much like a room full of celebrities sweating over side-eyes and murdering in plain sight, the Celebrity Traitors final had many Brits saying, ‘I’m 100% Faithful... to watching live.’
Broadcast TV has been in steady decline over the past decade, particularly with younger viewers, as many flock to SVOD and digital platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Ofcom’s latest Media Nations report showed that time spent with broadcast channels was down by 4% in 2024, with weekly reach among all adults down by 1.7%pts.
However, the rate was notably slower this year. Perhaps consumers are settling into a new equilibrium where digital platforms compete for the lion’s share of our time, but traditional, broadcast moments reign supreme in the battle for the cultural psyche.
Nothing better illustrates this than the finale of Celebrity Traitors, which drew over 11 million live viewers and an 81% overnight share, numbers comparable only to the final stages of major sporting events in recent years.
The Event TV Phenomenon
While this doesn’t mean we will all suddenly return to the turrets of classic telly, when it comes to real-time drama and viral gold, linear TV is still king. In the age of multi-screening, fear of missing out – or the threat of seeing a spoiler – trumps the convenience of on-demand viewing. Alliances are made, feuds are born, and, let’s face it, watching a live backstab is much juicier than a catch-up in your pyjamas.
Properties like Celebrity Traitors succeed because they translate television viewing into a true national event, reminiscent of the days when families would gather around the TV for shared experiences. The BBC series demonstrated the power of communal viewing and water-cooler conversation.
Key to the show’s success, it drew viewers from all generations, including Gen Z, typically least interested in scheduled TV. However, A-list celebrities, high production values, and interactive online buzz, particularly through TikTok and Instagram, played a crucial part in boosting its popularity.
How Advertisers Can Join the Round Table
It will not be lost on many brands that, for all the viewers flocking to Celebrity Traitors, the event occurred on public licence-fee funded TV. However, this does not mean brands are banished from the conversation.
A golden opportunity for reactive brands lay in joining the nation’s enthusiastic conversation on social media: from a fashion brand sharing how to ‘steal Claudia’s look’ through to an FMCG brand debuting new flavours and asking the public which should be banished.
Moreover, as publishers flock to create click-driving stories discussing new episodes, brands can ensure their content appears alongside the hottest news. A recent analysis showed that almost two-thirds of articles related to Celebrity Traitors were flagged as unsafe due to their use of terms such as ‘murder’. This ‘fear of missing out’ can be avoided by ensuring all quality newsbrands are marked as brand safe, a strategy championed by Bountiful Cow.
Celebrity Traitors has proven that with the right mix of format, suspense, and star power, linear TV can still unite a nation and dominate cultural conversation in the age of streaming. With a new Traitors series just weeks away, advertisers should consider how their brands can gain a seat at the coveted round table.
