Die Hard ranked a Christmas film in tight Channel 4 poll – as UK region with highest early festive viewing is revealed
The broadcaster has unveiled a roundup of fun facts that reveal how audiences spent their time in front of the screen in 2025.
Die Hard has been ranked a Christmas film in a new Channel 4 poll, as the broadcaster has unveiled a snapshot of the nation’s viewing habits for 2025.
The broadcaster said it has achieved significant success streaming success in 2025, with viewer minutes reaching 69 billion – up 14 per cent year on year – as it continues to shift its focus to drive streaming growth.
In a roundup of the nation’s festive viewing habits, the broadcaster revealed that the nation started the festive season early, with 87 million minutes of Christmas content streamed in November alone, including films such as Home Alone, Father Christmas and Terry Pratchett’s The Abominable Snow Baby.
Meanwhile, Die Hard, which was also available to watch on Channel 4’s streaming service, was officially ranked a Christmas film.
That’s according to 39 per cent of viewers who thought it was a Christmas film in a poll by the broadcaster, compared to 37 per cent of people who said it was not.
Elsewhere, the region celebrating the festive season the earliest was London, where 16 million minutes of Channel 4’s Christmas content were streamed in November. London was followed by the North West (9 million) and East of England (9 million).
Some viewers got into the Christmas spirit even earlier, with 80 people streaming The Snowman on 1st July – the hottest day of the year.
A Place in the Sun also saw a surge in viewership as the months turned colder, with November delivering the highest monthly streaming performance (2.14 million views) for the show.
Channel 4’s streaming success this year has been powered by a slate of new titles including Virgin Island, which became the biggest launch for young audiences in over 20 years.
Bonnie Blue: 1000 Men and Me became the channel’s most streamed documentary ever, while detective series Patience achieved the highest drama debut since It’s a Sin.
Ian Katz, Chief Content Officer, Channel 4 said: “We believe people should be able to enjoy the Channel 4 shows they love whenever they want them but, really, who watches The Snowman in the middle of a heatwave?
"I’m delighted that a string of hits from Virgin Island and Game of Wool to Patience and Trespasses have driven another year of Channel 4 streaming growth and we’re expecting millions of viewers to catch up with some of the great shows they missed over the Christmas break."
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
