Sports drive broadcast growth, streaming dips in October

In October, television viewing saw a modest increase, largely driven by sports, according to the latest data from Nielsen’s The Gauge report.

Broadcast channels experienced a 9.4% rise in viewership, notable for occurring without the usual influx of new scripted shows. This growth in broadcast viewership, particularly in sports, marked the third consecutive month of gains for the sector.

The major factors in this surge were the NFL season and the MLB World Series, contributing to a 15% increase in sports viewing on broadcast channels. Notably, this was the highest boost for broadcast since January 2023. Additionally, there was a significant uptick in viewers aged 18-24, who showed a 15% increase in broadcast viewership. However, compared to the previous year, total broadcast viewing dipped by 5.6%, with sports viewing down 8%.

Cable channels also saw growth, particularly in news and sports, with viewership up 17% and 19%, respectively. Despite these gains, cable’s overall share in TV viewing decreased slightly to 29.5%.

In contrast to broadcast and cable, streaming services lost a bit of ground, marking the third month of decline. The slight decrease in streaming viewership was largely stable across different platforms. “Suits” remained the top streaming program, though its viewership dropped significantly from September. Netflix continued to dominate the streaming space, holding eight of the top ten streaming titles for October, while Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video saw modest increases in viewership.

The Gauge, which provides monthly analysis of TV viewing habits across different platforms, noted a methodology change in this report. This change, focusing on differentiating between Hulu Live and Hulu SVOD viewing, did not impact overall consumption but did affect how viewing is credited to each category.