ONLINE HOLIDAY SPENDING UP, BUT GROWTH SLOWED
Online spending for the 2025 holiday season hit $257.8 billion last year, exceeding some expectations and topping 2024’s total by 6.8%. While this is good news, it still represents a lower increase than 2024’s 8.7%. Some of that can be chalked up to how percentages work, mathematically. But there are other warning signs: Having become more frugal, consumers took advantage of deep discounts that cut into retail profit. Also, budget-conscious shoppers took advantage of “Buy Now Pay Later” options, with $20 billion spent using such plans. (Reuters: January 7, 2026)
NFL WAS TV’S ALL-STAR IN 2025
NFL viewership has increased this season, boosting ratings for the linear and streaming platforms that carry them and setting some records along the way. Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock is poised to finish the 2025-26 season as the number one primetime show for an unprecedented 15th year. CBS scored its best-ever NFL ratings with an average of 21.25 million tuning in across the network, and Paramount and Fox have seen their highest NFL viewership since 2015. Amazon’s Thursday Night Football also grew 16 percent year-to-year, and the 21 million who watched their Christmas Day game was a Prime Video record. Some of this is due to Nielsen’s revised Panel+Big Data methodology, giving a more accurate report and including viewers who were previously uncounted. (The Hollywood Reporter: January 6, 2026)
RISING STREAMING COSTS COULD GIVE FAST TV A BOOST
As premium streaming subscription fees rise, Free Ad-Supported TV may become an even more appealing alternative for consumers. Advertisers are likely to shift budgets to reach the growing FAST impressions, with Mordor Intelligence predicting ad spending of $27 billion by 2030 (more than double last year’s $12 billion). There are already positive indicators: 2025 ended with 1,850 active global FAST channels, a 14% increase since the first quarter of the year, and 70% higher than in 2023. (MediaPost: December 26, 2025)
VIEWERS CONTINUE TO ACCEPT ADS
In other good news for FAST channels, ad-supported paid platforms, and linear networks, Hub Entertainment Research has released its annual study on attitudes toward advertising. More viewers than ever are accepting of ads, with two-thirds of respondents saying they’d “rather save money” than avoid ads. Even since last June, the number of consumers who use ad-supported services exclusively has increased. (Hub Entertainment Research: January 2026)
It’s now the Godfather of “Prestige TV,” but for CBS and Fox, The Sopranos was an offer they did refuse. Their loss was HBO’s gain, and for six seasons and 86 episodes, it was their flagship show. It was also a win for actors like James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, and Michael Imperioli, taking them from reliable character actors to stars. Want to feel like it’s a Sunday night in the early aughts again? Just watch this.
Fun fact: According to series creator David Chase, CBS’ response after reading the pilot script was “We’re fine with all the break-ins and crime, but does he have to go to a psychiatrist?” Madon!
