Every year, Christmas music seems to arrive a little earlier on air and in streams. Yet a new US study suggests that listeners are starting to push back. According to research firm P1 Media Group, even the most devoted fans of holiday songs now favour a later start. That is food for thought for broadcasters preparing their year-end programming.
A panel of listeners already won over
The annual "America's Top 100 Christmas Songs" survey was conducted online on 1 and 2 November 2026 among 400 radio listeners aged 25 to 54 in the top 50 US markets. To take part, respondents had to listen frequently or sometimes to an all-Christmas station and rate their enjoyment of Christmas music at 7 or higher on a 10-point scale. In other words, the audience most favourable to the format.
Early November no longer wins
Even among these loyal listeners, only 18% want an all-Christmas flip in early November, down from 23% in 2025 and 31% in 2024. Conversely, 56% prefer to wait until Thanksgiving or later, compared with 49% a year earlier. In detail:
- Thanksgiving: 28% (23% in 2025);
- mid-November: 26% (28%);
- early December: 25% (18%);
- mid-December: 3% (8%).
The end of the season is shifting too. Only 42% now want all-Christmas programming to run through New Year's Eve, down from 48% in 2025 and 52% in 2024. A third (33%) choose 26 December, 20% Christmas Day, and 3% each 27 December or another date.
The classics remain unbeatable
For the song list, P1 tested the 100 most-played Christmas recordings on US radio during the 2025 holiday season, according to Mediabase. Bobby Helms' 1957 "Jingle Bell Rock" comes first with an appeal score of 80.80 out of 100; it has held the top spot in nine of the past ten years. It is followed by José Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad", Andy Williams' "Sleigh Ride", Frank Sinatra's "Jingle Bells" and Bing Crosby's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas".
Three versions of "Jingle Bell Rock" make the top 10, including those by Brenda Lee (6th) and Daryl Hall & John Oates (7th), the latter earning the highest share of "Love" ratings (59.66%). Nine standards, in several renditions, account for 38% of the list on their own. In total, 34 recordings score above 75 and 87 clear the 70 mark.
For Ken Benson, founder of P1 Media Group, Christmas music remains one of radio's most powerful audience magnets, but listeners are becoming more selective about when the season should begin. Timing and execution matter as much as the playlist.
What it means for webradios
These figures concern the United States and a very specific audience, so they do not translate directly to Europe. They nonetheless offer concrete pointers for online stream operators.
- A dedicated stream rather than a flip: a webradio can launch an all-Christmas channel alongside its main programme, without forcing the format on those who are not ready yet.
- A gradual calendar: a few seasonal tracks in November, then a ramp-up in December, better matches the expectations described.
- A clean exit: most respondents want to stop by New Year at the latest, and a growing share as early as 25 or 26 December.
- Safe bets, but varied: standards dominate in several versions, which makes it possible to vary without confusing listeners.
For webradios listed in a directory, this is also the time to update the description and keywords of a seasonal stream, so that it can be found exactly when listeners start searching for a festive atmosphere.
Source: Radio Ink