TV Viewership Trends: September Surge in Broadcast TV Driven by Sports, Cable TV Gains Momentum, Streaming Dominance Continues
September saw a significant increase in broadcast TV viewership, driven by the popularity of NFL and college football games. The month recorded a 20% rise in viewership compared to the previous month, marking the largest monthly increase in volume and share since tracking began in May 2021. Broadcast TV surpassed cable TV in viewership share for the first time, with sports viewership tripling to represent 33% of broadcast's total in September.
Cable TV also experienced a boost in viewership, finishing the month with a 22.3% share. The increase was driven by a 9% rise in news viewership and an 11% increase in sports viewership. Younger audiences, particularly those in the 25-34 age group, contributed significantly to the viewing gains for both broadcast and cable TV. Broadcast viewing among this group increased by 65%, while cable viewing was up by 16%.
Despite the gains in broadcast and cable TV viewership, streaming continued to dominate TV usage, accounting for 45.2% of total watch time in September. However, the number of billion-minute titles in Nielsen's weekly Streaming Top 10 decreased compared to previous months. YouTube maintained its lead in the streaming landscape with a 12.6% share, followed by Netflix at 8.3%. The top streaming title in September was "Wednesday," which garnered over 7 billion viewing minutes.
Disney, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Tubi, Paramount, Peacock, and Warner Bros. Discovery rounded out the list of top streaming services, each capturing a share of the streaming market. Prime Video achieved its most-watched NFL Thursday Night Football game ever in September, generating over 3 billion viewing minutes. Overall, streaming platforms continued to be a popular choice for viewers, despite the resurgence of broadcast and cable TV viewership in September.