January looks to be a roaring success for linear TV.

It’s no secret that linear TV is on a gradual decline, with an ageing demographic watching and declining viewership.

I personally couldn’t tell you the last time I watched live TV excluding sports, and even then, it’s far from often with me having the misfortune of supporting Chelsea.

But we’re seeing two significant successes in January across linear from the UK’s two longest-standing broadcasters.

The ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office has had a profound impact since being aired, it’s reignited a nationwide debate on the post office scandal. Petitions related to the cause have recently received hundreds of thousands of signatures, including one to grant Bates knighthood.

It’s been ITV’s largest drama in 3 years, with 10.3m viewers tuning in for the final episode.

Not surprisingly, the show has had a devasting effect on the Post Office’s brand health and reputation, both declining by 25% or more in the first 9 days of the year.

While I have yet to watch the drama, I certainly plan on. But, even I, and I imagine many others, have still watched live TV for the first time in a considerable while this month.

Albeit not commercial TV, the BBC 1 Reality TV show, The Traitors has been a massive hit, achieving 6m viewers at its peak each night. The show has seen 4x the audience of the Love Island All-Stars currently on at the same time.

It's got me and millions of others talking about a TV show the morning after being aired, a testament to the concept of the show.

While the times when the nation is captivated through live TV, as we were 10 years ago with The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent every Saturday night, are few and far between, Linear TV is still kicking, alive and well.

And it reveals a fundamental truth; content that captivates can still draw crowds. The future isn't just streaming. It's about storytelling that resonates, regardless of platform.