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Data Jam
The Signal
UK Movement Intelligence by Data Jam

January 2026

Audience movement trends across the UK

Like-for-Like Growth
+25.4%

Year-over-year increase in audience impressions across matched locations

Jan 2025
221M
impressions
Jan 2026
278M
impressions
Peak Day
10.7M
Fri 24th
Avg Daily
9.0M
+26% vs 2025

Why like-for-like?

We compare only sensors that were active in both January 2025 and January 2026 — same locations, same measurement zones. This isolates genuine audience growth from network expansion, giving you the true market signal.

Daily Movement

January 2026 vs 2025 — with event overlays

Peak event days

What Drove Movement

4.8M
10.7M
📈
The January Swing
Quietest day to busiest day
Jan 1st
4.8M
Month's quietest
Jan 24th
10.7M
Month's busiest

A 125% swing from New Year's Day to the final Friday — the most dramatic monthly range we've recorded.

💪
The Gym Rush
"New Year, New Me" in action

Leisure & fitness venues saw the strongest January performance across our network — driven by resolution sign-ups and the annual membership surge.

Industry insight

Most gyms report the rush peaks in week 2-3, then declines by mid-February. Our data confirms: weekday gym traffic was strongest Jan 6-20.

🍺
Dry January & Pubs
Record participation, but a softening trend

17.5 million Brits participated in Dry January 2026 — the biggest on record. But the industry is seeing a shift to "Damp January" with 31% just cutting back rather than going fully dry.

Average Brit's Dry Jan duration10 days
"Damp Monday" (Jan 12)+11% alcohol sales
Est. pub revenue impact-£59M
❄️
Weather Impact
Arctic blast & Storm Goretti

January saw the coldest night of winter (-12.5C in Norfolk) and Storm Goretti bringing 100mph winds to Cornwall and heavy snow across Wales and the Midlands.

Jan 1-4Arctic blast — footfall suppressed
Jan 9-10Storm Goretti — rebound spike after
Jan 26Storm Chandra — record rainfall NI
🎬
Cinema Comeback
January broke the "dump month" curse

Major releases throughout January drove sustained entertainment traffic:

Jan 9Hamnet— Buckley & Mescal awards contender
Jan 1628 Years Later— Horror blockbuster
Jan 23Return to Silent Hill— Genre revival
Jan 30Primate— Action thriller
📈
The Jan 31st Surge
Dry January ends + Payday Friday

The perfect storm: Dry January ending + month-end payday + Premier League fixtures = 10.6M impressions.

Hospitality and retail venues — this annual "release valve" is predictable. Plan marketing and staffing accordingly.

Day-of-Week Pattern

YoY change by day — Friday leads, Saturday lags

Mon
+27%
Tue
+28%
Wed
+34%
Thu
+34%
Fri
+36%
Sat
+0%
Sun
+32%
Friday: +36%

Strongest growth day. Entertainment releases and pre-weekend shopping drive consistent outperformance.

Saturday: Flat

Storm weekends and severe weather warnings kept audiences home — January's unusual weather patterns disrupted the traditional "big day".

Key Takeaways

📺 For Media Owners

  • →Friday is the new Saturday — 36% growth makes it the optimal launch day
  • →Plan for sports convergence — FA Cup + NFL weekends create measurable spikes
  • →January isn't dead — +26% like-for-like proves audiences are out

📊 For Advertisers

  • →Dry January is real — but the end-of-month bounce is predictable and powerful
  • →Cinema is back — entertainment venues seeing sustained January recovery
  • →Weather matters — storm warnings suppress Saturday footfall, plan for rebounds

👀 Looking Ahead: February 2026

Key dates to watch in next month's report:

Feb 1
Six Nations Rugby Begins
Wales vs France, Ireland vs England
Feb 14
Valentine's Day + FA Cup 4th Round
Restaurant & entertainment convergence
Half Term
School Holidays
Family leisure & retail spike

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Data sourced from Data Jam's UK-wide sensor network. Aggregated hourly, fully anonymised. Like-for-like comparison uses only sensors active in both January 2025 and January 2026.
Data Jam
The Signal
Monthly Movement Intelligence by Data Jam
Published February 2026
data-jam.com