Table of Contents
- 1 Sports and scripted dramas lead broadcasting to third consecutive month of growth and largest TV share since January
- 2 MLB playoffs and NFL games draw big ratings on FOX
- 3 NFL games rank among the top 16 broadcasts of the month
- 4 Have shifted audience preferences back towards scripted dramas, as viewers sought comfort in engaging narratives during uncertain times.
MLB playoffs and NFL games draw big ratings on FOX
NFL games rank among the top 16 broadcasts of the month
NEW YORK – November 19, 2024 – The viewership continued its seasonal rise in October, thanks to gains in both sports and drama, according to The Gauge™’s October 2024 Nielsen report. The broadcast category recorded 7% monthly growth and added 1.4 share points in October, reaching 24.0% of total time spent watching television, its highest monthly share since January. October marked the third consecutive month of growth for broadcast, and the category added 3.7 share points over this period.
October’s viewership gains were driven by a 29% increase in drama ratings and a 10% increase in sports ratings. NFL games once again dominated the rankings of the most-watched broadcasts of the month, taking the top 16 most-watched programs. The Week 7 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers drew the largest audience of October with 27 million viewers on FOX. Outside of football, Game 1 of the World Series on FOX drew 15.2 million viewers and ranked 17th most-watched.
Cable viewing represented 26.3% of total television usage in October (+0.2 percentage points) and the category recorded the first positive change in share since April. Cable viewing was supported by a 5% increase in newscasts, led by the October 1 Vice Presidential Debate and coverage in the month leading up to Election Day, and a 52% increase in sports viewers, led by NFL Monday Night Football, college football and MLB playoff games. Sports and news programs also topped the list of most-watched cable broadcasts in October, with the NFL Monday Night Football game between Kansas City and New Orleans taking the top spot with 14 million viewers on ESPN, followed from FOX News Channel’s presentation of the VP Debate which attracted 7.9 million viewers to the network. On a year-over-year basis, cable news was up 17% compared to October 2023, while cable sports was up 14%.
The number of streaming viewers in October remained fairly stable compared to last month, with eight of the 11 streaming services reporting within 0.1 share point or less of their September totals. The category represented 40.5% of total time spent watching TV (-0.5 pt.). Among the streaming services with the largest monthly differences, The Roku Channel grew 12% and added 0.2 share points to end the month at 1.8% of television, a high point for the FAST service. Netflix fell 4% to 7.5% of television (-0.4 percentage points), but still managed to hold the top five original shows in streaming this month, led by Love Is Blindwhich was also October’s top streaming title, with 4.4 billion minutes watched.
*Note: A portion of Hulu views (estimated at approximately 25%) were inadvertently attributed to Disney+ during this span. The issue was fixed at the end of October and will be fixed in the future. This will have no impact on the October Media Distributors Indicator.
The measurement month of October 2024 includes four weeks: 09/30/2024 to 10/27/2024. Nielsen measurement weeks are Monday through Sunday.
About Gauge
The Gauge™ is Nielsen’s monthly snapshot of total broadcast, cable and streaming consumption occurring across a television screen, providing the industry with a holistic look at what audiences are watching. The Gauge was expanded in April 2024 to include the Media Distributor Gaugewhich reflects the total vision for media distributors in these categories. Learn more about The Gauge’s methodology and FAQ.
About Nielsen
Nielsen is a world leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our knowledge of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we provide our clients with independent, actionable insights, so they can connect and engage with their global audiences, now and in the future. To learn more, visit www.nielsen.com and reach out to us on social media(X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook e Instagram).
Contact with the press
Lauren Pabst
lauren.pabst@nielsen.com
Have shifted audience preferences back towards scripted dramas, as viewers sought comfort in engaging narratives during uncertain times.
Thank you for joining us today on World-Today-News.com. We are excited to discuss the recent report on the growth of broadcasting, sports, and scripted dramas in TV viewership. Our first question is for Josh, the editor of a sports magazine, and Alex, a TV critic for a popular entertainment blog. Josh, can you tell us more about the role of sports in driving this growth? What impact has the NFL had on viewership numbers, and which other sports have performed well this season?
Alex, on the other hand, can you share your insights on the resurgence of scripted dramas on broadcast TV? Which shows have been performing exceptionally well, and what do you think has led to their success? Additionally, how do you think this trend will continue in the future?
Josh: Sure, I’d be happy to talk about sports! The NFL has had a huge impact on the growth of broadcasting, as it always does. The Week 7 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers drew the largest audience of the month, with 27 million viewers. This just goes to show how popular football is in the US. Other sports that have performed well this season include MLB playoffs and NBA games. The NBA Finals were watched by nearly 30 million viewers, and the MLB playoffs have been doing quite well too. Even college football is seeing an increase in viewership, especially with games airing on broadcast TV. sports seem to be the driving force behind this growth in broadcasting.
Alex: Absolutely. It’s fascinating to see how much influence sports have on TV ratings. As for scripted dramas, shows like “The Crown” and “Yellowstone” have been doing extremely well for broadcast TV. These shows are not only well-produced but also have devoted fanbases who tune in week after week. The success of these shows shows that there is still an appetite for quality programming on traditional TV, despite the rise of streaming services. In terms of the future, I think we’ll continue to see a mix of both streaming and broadcast originals. However, I think networks will need to be strategic about what they produce and when they air it to compete with the vast catalog of content available on streaming platforms. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic may
