The Traitors are back in the castle, Strictly is gearing up for a new era and the C-bomb is already being dropped multiple times a day (get that Baileys on ice).

So, as we head into one of the busiest times of the year, we’ve been looking at the cultural shifts and media trends that are set to shape the final quarter of 2026. 

📺 The return of watercooler TV - At a time when viewing is so fragmented, there’s something extra special about the shows that get everyone talking at the same time. Get ready for a lot of Rivals/Traitors/Slow Horses/Pride&Pej chat which means lots of opportunity for brands to join the conversation.

🎁 Brand merch coming in hot – In the past week alone we’ve seen Burger King launch a Nugget Bag, a second line from Percival and Guinness, even Duolingo got involved with a collection featuring the phonetic spellings of high-end fashion houses. A few years ago, we were snowed under with merch drops from brands and wondered whether it would reach a saturation point and vanish, but they’re back, and it’s a tactic that we don’t see slowing down in the lead up to Christmas.  

🤖 “Dear AI…”- More of us are turning to AI for recommendations on what to buy, but AI needs to get those Christmas gifting recommendations from somewhere – making earned media coverage more powerful than ever in the lead up to the festive season. 

🤝 Community power – It’s been a year of media and brands recognising the value of engaging with their customer communities. From “Red Shops” to “Good Housekeeping Live”, we expect to see more of this IRL engagement in the build up to the Christmas shopping period. 

🌦️ El Niño enters the chat - We’ve had one hell of a hot summer, resulting in plenty of heat-related challenges. Well, now El Niño is on its way to throw a wet and windier curveball our way. As we know, freak weather can quickly take over the media agenda, and reactive planning will be as important as ever – particularly with multiple outdoor events in the instinct diary!