VEVO launches Christmas services
November 18, 2021
Music video network Vevo has launched a number of holiday-themed channels on connected TVs (CTV) in the US and UK, available through New Year’s Eve.
Vevo’s largest holiday TV lineup to date features carefully curated, 24-hour linear programming ranging from traditional Christmas music, such as Silent Night and O Holy Night, to family classics, such as Winter Wonderland and Let It Snow!, and newer hits, such as Mistletoe and Santa Tell Me.
In the US, the ‘Vevo Holiday’ channel is available on Local Now, Pluto TV, Redbox, Samsung TV Plus and Xumo. Similarly, in the UK, fans can tune into the ‘Vevo Christmas’ channel on Samsung TV Plus, Vevo’s first-ever dedicated Christmas channel in the UK.
Every December, holiday genre views spike on Vevo across all platforms. In 2020, monthly views in December grew by 4,500 per cent in the US and by 3,700 per cent in the UK (compared to monthly averages from January through October). All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, for example, saw nearly 18 million cross-platform views in the U.S. and 7 million cross-platform views in the UK in December 2020 alone. This annual viewership spike illustrates the consumer demand for holiday music videos, and Vevo is programming this content on the biggest screen, making it even easier for consumers to get into the holiday spirit.
“During this time of the year, consumers are actively seeking out and watching holiday music videos, such as Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You or Wham!’s Last Christmas,” notes JP Evangelista, senior vice president, content, programming and marketing, Vevo. “Music is undoubtedly an integral part of celebrating the holidays and spreading cheer, and given the particular popularity of these types of music videos right now, Vevo is providing consumers with a destination for getting into the spirit of the season through their TVs and tune-in options for the whole festive period.”
Vevo’s 2021 linear holiday programming on CTV builds on the success of its 2020 US pop-up channels. In terms of viewership, 2020’s ‘Vevo Holiday’ was one of the top channels on the platforms on which it launched, with performance consistently strong throughout the duration of the season.
Historically, viewership of Vevo on CTV is highest over the holidays as families and friends gather together. New Year’s Eve 2020, for example, was the most viewed day of last year for Vevo CTV, as well as Vevo’s history in both the US and the UK Christmas Eve and Christmas Day also followed as top viewership days for Vevo CTV in the US and the UK for the year.
For 2021, brands can tap into more holiday programming on Vevo across CTV, mobile and desktop through various ad opportunities, such as one-hour ‘brought to you by’ editorial programme sponsorships, linear TV block ownership, and daytime ownership. Editorial programme themes include: ‘Home for the Holidays’, ‘Holiday Party, ‘Top Holiday Hits’, ‘Best of 2021’, and ‘New Year’s Eve Party’.
“From nostalgia to joy, holiday music taps into our emotions and memories unlike any other types of music,” observes Rob Christensen, vice president, advanced television, Vevo. “Vevo’s holiday channels uniquely allow advertisers to leverage these feelings and to align their campaigns with powerful holiday content, during the biggest sales period of the year. We are excited to launch our new holiday channels, and we anticipate even higher viewership this year, meaning greater reach for advertisers on Vevo.”