How is the Christmas Number One calculated and when is this year’s announced?

The Christmas Number One is a prestigious title that many big names still hope to achieve.

The Spice Girls, the Beatles, Leona Lewis, Rage Against the Machine, Girls Aloud, Nicole Kidman and even Mr Blobby have all had one – so it truly is anyone’s game.

But how are the charts calculated and when will this year’s winner be announced?

Here’s when you can expect to find out who’s taken top honours…

How is the Christmas Number One determined?

The official Top 40 chart in the UK is compiled by the Official Charts Company.

First established in 1952, the Official Chart today surveys thousands of retailers and digital services daily to count UK physical sales, digital downloads, audio streams and video streams. The most comprehensive research panel of its kind, it captures 99.9% of the total UK singles market.

The charts operate a Friday to Thursday chart week – with sales counted from 12:01am Friday – 12:00am Thursday each week.

In terms of how streams have come to change how the charts are counted, the Official Charts Company has been factoring in streaming information since 2008 (when the Official Subscription Plays Chart was launched) but it was from 2014 that streaming finally enter the core Official Charts.

The Official Charts website explains that 100 audio streams (drawn from services such as Spotify and others) equate to one single purchase.

For the albums chart, 1000 streams count as one complete album sale.

In July 2018, video downloads and streams were incorporated for the first time.

The Top 40 is then counted down every Friday afternoon on BBC Radio 1 and the Official Singles Chart Top 100 is published in full on OfficialCharts.com from 5.45pm.

When will this year’s Christmas Number One be revealed?

With Christmas Day falling on a Sunday this year, whoever is number one when the charts are revealed next week will have the Christmas Number One.

The Christmas Number One will be announced on Friday, December 23.

Who could be this year’s Christmas Number One?

BetVictor have LadBaby the 1/10 favourite to claim another Christmas Number One – which will be their record-making fifth.

Last year, the duo tied the Beatles with four Christmas Number Ones – the most of any act in UK chart history.

This year, they have teamed up with Martin Lewis for a charity single, with 50% of sales going to the Trussell Trust and 50% being donated to the Band Aid Trust. 

Other acts in the running for this year’s number one include the YouTube supergroup Sidemen, Lewis Capaldi and, of course, the omnipresent Mariah Carey.

MORE : Martin Lewis has message for anyone who hates novelty songs after singing on LadBaby’s Christmas charity single

MORE : Can listening to Christmas music really boost your mood?

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