The fantastic sporting schedule and the return of flagship programming bring the potential for significant viewing figures and plenty of must-watch TV moments. However, the continued proliferation of how and where we watch, combined with increased demand from brands, mean taking advantage isn’t straightforward. Early-mover advantage could determine the winners and losers come the autumn.

We’re expecting a jump in pricing over the next few months, though to a lesser extent than originally anticipated (we’ve not seen the same rush back to the market as after the first lockdown). As restrictions ease budgets will increase and dormant advertisers will re-enter the market, growing the demand for addressable audiences.

With encouraging signs of recovery and innovative opportunities arising, the outlook is positive for publisher brands as they continue to adapt to changes in consumer behaviour. And while millions of us are still likely to be (at least partially) working from home in Q3, we’re expecting brands to continue making the most of this through letterbox media campaigns.

Listenership soared across radio, podcasts and digital audio over the past year. With post-lockdown working habits likely to be slow to change, we expect audio to continue reaching more audiences than ever before. RAJAR hopes to return later this year in what would be the most widespread and robust research into radio listening in over a year.

After a challenging 14 months for the out of home industry, audiences are back and so are advertisers. Our advice is to brief early to avoid disappointment. The latest forecasts expect to see roadside audiences return to pre-Covid levels by 21st June, with transport reaching around 75% by the start of September.

While admissions aren’t forecast to return to their pre-Covid levels just yet, early signs are promising. With a slate of postponed blockbusters to come, this channel is likely to go from strength to strength.