2026 BRIT Awards draws record-breaking engagement

This year’s BRIT Awards achieved its biggest ever reach and impact, achieving 250 million organic views in the 48 hours post-show.

The show, which took place at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday 28 February, was broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK, as well as The BRITs’ YouTube channel for viewers outside the UK, and, for the first time, ITV’s YouTube channel for UK viewers.

Hosted by Jack Whitehall, the show featured exclusive performances from Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, RAYE, ROSALÍA (with Björk), Outstanding Contribution to Music winner Mark Ronson (with Dua Lipa and Ghostface Killah), Alex Warren, HUNTR/X, Wolf Alice, SOMBR, Audrey Nuna, REI AM and EJAE, as well as an all-star tribute performance for Ozzy Osbourne fronted by Robbie Williams.

Olivia Dean took home the most awards of the night, awarded with Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Pop Act.

Instagram was instrumental in driving this growth, achieving 162 million views - up 400% from 32.4 million views in the same period last year. Throughout the night, The BRITs’ Instagram shared arrival videos of artists including Harry Styles, Olivia Dean and ROSÉ, as well as photographs featuring the night’s awardees, including Songwriter of the Year awardee Noel Gallagher, Mark Ronson and ROSALÍA. The account saw over 10 million likes across the 48 hours following the event, as well as just under one million content shares.

Facebook Reels reached over 70 million views for the first time, drawn in with clips from the all-star tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, Olivia Dean’s acceptance speech for Album of the Year, and Dua Lipa’s surprise appearance during Mark Ronson’s medley of hits.

“We’re proud of the role Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook played in helping the BRITs be the UK’s defining cultural moment in music,” said Josh Nicholl, music label partnerships manager at Meta. “With an incredible line-up of artists on the live show and the reach of the wider digital programme, the BRITs have travelled further than ever, resonating with audiences around the world.”

For the 13th consecutive year, YouTube broadcast the show to viewers outside the UK. Views doubled compared to 2025, with over one million tuning in from overseas. There were over four million views on content on The BRITs’ YouTube channel, up from 1.3 million views in 2025, with all 10 performances from the ceremony amassing a total of 10 million views, including over two million for Harry Styles’ debut live performance of Aperture, and four million for ROSALÍA’s rendition of Berghain, featuring Björk.

Views on TikTok more than doubled from 9.3 million in the 48 hours following the show in 2025 to over 19 million in 2026.

“The move to Manchester has added a fresh lens to our campaign,” said Giuseppe De Cristofano, BPI director of digital and co-chair of The BRIT Awards digital committee. “The way the city has embraced the BRITs is unparalleled and has allowed us to capture new stories around the BRITs and share these with music fans all over the world.”

ITVX’s BRIT coverage achieved an over 60% increase year on year, with over two million total streams, while ITV1 was the biggest channel in the slot across all key demographics. The 2026 show proved a hit with younger viewers; nearly half of the coveted 16-34 demographic watching TV during the timeslot tuned in to The BRITs. This 49% share meant The BRITs achieved the highest peak share for any commercial programme in the 2026 calendar so far.

Performers and winning artists enjoyed a marked increase in demand for their music post-show on the UK Official Albums Chart, with international Artist of the Year ROSALÍA seeing a +583% increase with her fourth studio album Lux, entering the UK Official Albums Chart at number 18 following the ceremony. As well as this, International Group of the Year winners Geese have seen their album Getting Killed back in the Top 40 at 33, with an uplift of +177%. After winning two awards, Sam Fender’s Mercury Prize-winning album People Watching also nudged back into the Top 40, moving up to 38 from 50.

In the UK Official Singles Chart, performing and winning artists have also enjoyed an uplift in streams and sales. Breakthrough Artist winner Lola Young’s Messy is up 18% from 81 to 67; Alex Warren’s Ordinary moved up 12% from 16 to 15. Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s record-breaking track Rein Me In, as the BRIT Award-winning Song of the Year, has seen an uplift of 18%.