Nielsen Media Research has released its Gauge report for the month of October, which communicates sustained increases as it pertains to sports viewership. Despite a dearth of new programming due to recently concluded strikes by both writers and actors, the NFL and World Series broadcasts served as catalysts for the 9.4% bump in broadcast television viewership. The 15% rise in sports viewing across broadcast channels rendered October to be the third consecutive month of gains in this category.
Overall, the increase for broadcast television is the largest in the category since January of this year. Broadcast viewership among people aged 18-24 was up 15%; however, the total broadcast television year-over-year viewership figure is down by 5.6%, representing 24.6% of the average total day P2+ audience.
Streaming finished by returning shares for the third consecutive month with usage nearly flat from September. Amazon Prime Video usage in particular was up 1% and tends to be at its highest mark on Thursdays, concurrent with its broadcast of Thursday Night Football matchups.
The streaming provider is preparing to broadcast the NFL’s first-ever Black Friday football game in a matchup between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins later in the week. Streaming, however, makes up 36.6% of the average total day P2+ audience, with YouTube and Netflix accumulating the largest percentage shares.
Linear streaming through multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) and virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs) made up 6.4% of total television usage throughout the month. These numbers, however, are included in their respective broadcast or cable categories rather than being amalgamated within the total streaming category.
In September, viewership of sports programming increased by 360% on broadcast television, according to Nielsen Media Research. The NFL can be seen as a key driver of these shifts, specifically within various key demographics. Broadcast viewing among persons aged 12-17 increased by 26%, while the figure among those aged 18-49 increased by 35%. In broadening the range to include people aged 25 to 54, the number jumps by almost 33%.
