YouTube's top 10 UK Christmas 2018 ads - Elton and John Lewis rocket to the top

The system ranks does not rank ads by view volume, as that can be raised with paid placements, but a combination of organic views, paid views, watch time and audience retention. As a result, some lesser-viewed spots ranked higher when all metrics were taken into account.

One of the annual top spenders, John Lewis, took the top spot with 11.7m views. Supermarkets dominated the top ten, but tech companies also pushed their way into the mix.

Watch the ads below.

10. Amazon, Can You Feel It, Lucky Generals, 1.1m

9. Apple, Share Your Gifts, Media Arts Labs and OMD, 1.1m

8. M&S, Must-Haves, Grey and Mindshare, 1.25m

7. Aldi, Kevin the Carrot and the Wicked Parsnip, McCann UK and UM Manchester, 2.9m

6. Cadbury, Secret Santa, Carat London, 3.68m

5. Very.co.uk, Find the gift that helps them find their Gift, St. Lukes and Vizuem, 3.6m

4. Iceland, Say hello to Rang-tan #NoPalmOilChristmas, Mother, 5.6m

3. Argos, The Christmas Fool, The &Partnership and PHD, 3.73m

2. Sainsbury's, The Big Night, Wieden & Kennedy UK and PHD, 4.4m

1. John Lewis & Partners, #EltonJohnLewis, Adam&Eve DDB and Manning Gottlieb OMD, 11.7m