NFL raises viewership for broadcast TV, streaming in October
NFL raises viewership for broadcast TV, streaming in October
Streamers that offer NFL games saw a clear halo effect during the month, according to Nielsen’s ratings.
The NFL is, quite predictably, asserting its ratings dominance once again this fall. That’s the overall takeaway from Nielsen’s The Gauge report for October, which showed that NFL viewership is driving a continued resurgence of broadcast TV viewing, as well as creating a noticeable spillover audience for streaming services that carry NFL games
Key Details:
- Broadcast rises: Broadcast viewing jumped again in October, and reached over 27% of viewing on Sundays.
- Streaming gains: Paramount+, Peacock, and Prime Video all saw viewership increase thanks to the NFL as well.
- Cable bright spot: Cable sports viewership increased nearly 50% over September.
Per Nielsen’s data, broadcast viewership grew 4.3% over September, which was also an impressive month for that source. In total, broadcast viewership accounted for 22.9% of all TV watched during the month of October, up from 22.3% last month.
When narrowed down to Sundays only, broadcast viewership accounts for an even higher percentage of all TV watched — 27.3%. Cable and streaming both show markedly lower viewership on Sundays, demonstrating how popular football is on Sunday afternoons.
Click to expand chart to full-size.
This popularity is also helping streaming services that carry NFL games gain viewership as well. Peacock showed a 19% jump in monthly viewing in October, and on Sundays, it averages 2% of all TV watched. Paramount+ viewership surged 8% during October, and Prime Video averaged 6.4% of all TV watched on Thursdays in the month.
Streaming viewership overall was up 2.4% month-over-month, with Netflix continuing to lead all subscription streamers with 8% of all TV watched. YouTube viewership is creeping toward 13% of all TV viewed, and Disney streaming services combined to make up nearly 5% of all viewing.
Cable viewership slipped 0.1% points overall during the month to 22.2% of all TV watched. But cable sports viewership jumped by nearly 50% as compared to September, representing 14% of the overall total of cable viewing. College football is helping to keep cable viewership afloat, but it clearly can’t keep up with NFL audiences.
Football isn’t likely to relinquish its hold on viewers any time soon, as the NFL regular season doesn’t end until January. Until then, broadcast channels and streaming services that offer NFL games will continue to benefit from that programming.
Prime Video
Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.