Not surprisingly, the start of the football season led to an uptick in broadcast TV usage. Somewhat unexpected, however, is that the gains for broadcast networks didn’t take away audience share for cable and streaming outlets, according to Nielsen’s Gauge snapshot of TV use for September.
While cable (38 percent of total TV use) and streaming (28 percent) were even with their shares from August (and July as well), broadcast networks rose to 26 percent from 24 percent the previous month. The NFL season — which has surged in the ratings thus far compared to 2020 — and the start of the 2021-22 TV season, which means higher viewing than the quiet summer months, helped push broadcast’s share to its highest level in the five months Nielsen has been releasing its Gauge snapshot.
The increase in broadcast usage came at the expense of Nielsen’s “other” category, which includes gaming and physical media playback. A dip in gaming, coinciding with the start of both the football season and a new school year, accounts for much of the decline.
Among individual streaming services, Netflix (6 percent of all TV use) and Disney+ (1 percent) each dropped a point from August. YouTube (6 percent, including its YouTube TV bundle), Hulu (3 percent, including Hulu + Live) and Amazon’s Prime Video (2 percent) were flat, as did the “other streaming” group at 9 percent.
Below is the breakdown of TV usage for September.
Platforms
Cable: 38 percent
Streaming: 28 percent
Broadcast: 26 percent
Other: 8 percent
Streaming Services
Netflix: 6 percent
YouTube (including YouTube TV): 6 percent
Hulu (including Hulu + Live): 3 percent
Amazon Prime Video: 2 percent
Disney+: 1 percent
Others: 9 percent
Source: Hollywood
