The golden age of unmissable Christmas television, packed with must-see specials, feels like a distant memory. This year, ITV's festive schedule has been met with widespread criticism, labelled 'dreadful' and 'utterly dire' by disappointed viewers. However, the finger of blame may be pointing in the wrong direction.
The Streaming Grinch Stole Christmas TV
Gone are the days of agonising over whether to watch the BBC One or ITV Christmas Day special. The 2025 lineup from ITV is accused of resembling any ordinary weekday, with the mere addition of 'Christmas special' tagged onto regular programmes. Even the BBC's offering is only marginally better, paling in comparison to 2024's hits like Gavin and Stacey or Wallace and Gromit.
The real transformation has occurred in our living rooms. Netflix has steadily become the home of festive viewing, a shift cemented when Bridgerton debuted on Christmas Day 2020 to hundreds of millions. Now, the platform floods December with its own accessible schedule of Christmas films and blockbuster series.
This battle for yuletide attention intensified dramatically in 2024, when Netflix directly targeted traditional TV's most loyal audience: sports fans. The Netflix x NFL Christmas Gameday broke records, attracting over 30 million global viewers with the added lure of a Beyoncé halftime show. This year, they are doubling down with two live NFL games on Christmas Day, featuring performances by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg.
Can Traditional Broadcasters Compete?
Faced with this onslaught, British broadcasters like ITV are fighting a losing battle against shrinking advertising revenue and plummeting linear viewership. Expecting them to produce lavish, first-class Christmas specials under these conditions is increasingly unrealistic. The cultural weight of the Christmas TV schedule, once symbolised by the 11 million-selling 1988 festive Radio Times, has evaporated.
The situation could worsen further. The potential purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery by Netflix – home to franchises like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Friends – could decisively end the streaming wars, leaving traditional broadcasters in an even weaker position.
A Glimmer of Hope for the Future?
There may be a slim chance for revival. ITV is currently in talks to sell its broadcasting outfit to Sky, a deal that could reshape the UK's television landscape. However, if audiences continue to desert linear channels en masse for streaming services, the traditional Christmas Day schedule will remain a fading relic.
The stark truth is that if viewers want more ambitious Christmas television, they must be willing to watch it. The collective migration to Netflix and other streamers only ensures that each year's terrestrial schedule feels progressively thinner. The responsibility for the 'dire' Christmas lineup, therefore, lies not with the programmers, but with the viewing habits we have all adopted.
