Broadcast channels see gains with sports programming in September

Sports programming continued to be a driving force for broadcast channels in the month of September, marking the second consecutive month of gains in viewership.

According to Neilsen’s monthly The Gauge report, sports viewing on broadcast channels surged by 360%, while streaming usage experienced a slight dip of 1.7%.

While the overall total TV usage in September appeared relatively consistent with the preceding month, it concealed some noteworthy shifts in viewer behavior, according to Neilsen.

These changes were primarily attributed to shifts in audience composition, particularly with the return of children and teenagers to school. As a result, streaming usage witnessed a double-digit decline among school-age viewers. Conversely, the arrival of college football and the launch of a new NFL season significantly boosted broadcast channel viewership among the 18-54 age group.

Key shifts in viewership during September included:

• Broadcast viewing among 12-17 year-olds increased 26% (albeit from a small base)
• Broadcast viewing among 18-49 year-olds increased by 35%
• Broadcast viewing among 25-54 year-olds increased by almost 33%
• Streaming usage among 12-17 year-olds declined 19%
• Cable viewing among 12-17 year-olds declined 15%

Broadcast television viewing experienced a 13% increase in September, primarily propelled by the resurgence of college and professional football. Notably, sports programming within the broadcast category saw a 360% boost.

The top 20 telecasts for the month predominantly featured football games, pre-game shows or post-game analysis.

Cable television also felt the impact of sporting events, with a 25.5% increase in viewership within the genre. ESPN claimed the top 11 telecasts for the month, 10 of which were related to football, while the U.S. Open secured ninth place.

However, despite the boost in sports viewership, total cable viewing experienced a 1.1% decline compared to August. This decrease was led by a 10% drop in news genre viewership and a 5.9% dip in feature film genre viewership.

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Streaming platforms, on the other hand, witnessed their second consecutive month of decline in viewership. However, the hit series “Suits” continued to perform exceptionally well, accumulating over 8 billion minutes of viewing in September.

Sports also played a significant role in driving viewers to Prime Video, which experienced a 7.5% increase in viewership due to NFL “Thursday Night Football” and the second season of “The Wheel of Time.” The two Thursdays with football games marked the highest viewing days for Prime Video.

Tubi and the Roku Channel were the other two streaming services to see an uptick in viewership in September. Linear streaming, influenced by the surge in broadcast viewing, reached a 2023 high, representing 5.7% of total TV usage for the month.