Early start of the holiday streaming season

Streaming platforms now see spikes in holiday-music listening far earlier than December. For example, the article “Christmas Music Dominates Streaming: The Ever-Expanding Holiday Season” notes that listening for classic holiday hits begins as early as November 1 and continues into January. Hypebot It also shows large year-over-year increases in listenership.

Audio vs video — two dimensions of streaming holiday content

On the audio side, research by SiriusXM Media on holiday consumer trends highlights how family “co-listening” of audio (music, podcasts) spikes, and how audio becomes an “escape” from visual media. SiriusXM Media On the video side, holiday programming, including “big screen” streaming, sees substantial increases: a study cited by Comcast Advertising found a 46% increase in streaming viewership on top holiday networks between Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2021. Comcast Advertising

Why this matters for families, kids and brands

For your audience—parents and kids—the implications are clear: holiday music and video are not just background festive noise, they shape mood, family time, and leisure patterns. For example, as the article from The Current notes, digital audio became “a form of portable escapism” during the holidays. The Current

Practical take-aways for families

Create a shared holiday streaming playlist (music + podcasts) at home.

Schedule a “family movie night” earlier than usual, given video streaming spikes during holiday break.

Be mindful of screen-time: high streaming volumes mean kids will have access; use this as a chance to curate quality holiday content.

Limitations & things to watch

Note that much of the data comes from the U.S. and major English-speaking markets; patterns may differ elsewhere (e.g., Europe, Romania). Also, “holiday” content is broad — not all Christmas music adheres to one style.

Sources:

• The rise of early holiday music streaming: Bridge Ratings blog, 14 Nov 2024. Bridge Ratings Media Research
• Christmas music dominates streaming: Hypebot article, 10 Dec 2024. Hypebot
• Six Holiday Consumer Trends in audio: SiriusXM Media, Sept 2024. SiriusXM Media
• Streaming viewership rise: Comcast Advertising research. Comcast Advertising