[Report] Football kicks up TV viewership: Disney, FOX, and NBCU see massive gains in September

The return of football in September generated a massive spike in television viewership and tangibly impacted the competitive landscape among media companies, creating a significant shift in the competitive landscape, according to Nielsen's latest Media Distributor Gauge report.

Powering a surge in television consumption, major distributors like Disney, FOX, NBCUniversal, and Paramount all recorded double-digit viewing increases compared to August levels. This growth was largely attributable to high-profile football coverage, with linear broadcast affiliates capturing a major share of the spike.

The big winners: Football fuels share shifts

The success of the football season directly translated into competitive gains for three major distributors, creating two notable changes in the monthly rankings:

FOX saw the largest proportional growth, with total viewing soaring by 20% in September. This translated to a gain of 1.2 share points, raising FOX's total TV watch-time to 7.9%, and moving the distributor from sixth to fifth position overall.
Disney (the second-largest distributor) experienced a 13% increase in overall viewership, adding 1.0 share point to reach a total share of 10.7%. Half of this share increase was driven by ESPN, which enjoyed a staggering 65% lift in viewership for the month.
NBCUniversal also added a full 1.0 share point following a 16% viewing uptick. Finishing the month with 8.6% of total TV watch-time, NBCU successfully surpassed Netflix to reclaim third place in the rankings.
Paramount rounded out the gains, increasing its viewership by 11% and adding 0.6 share points, concluding September with 7.7% of total TV viewing.

YouTube maintains lead as competition intensifies

Despite the strong performance from traditional media, YouTube maintained its position as the top media distributor, capturing 12.6% of total TV watch-time. However, Disney's strong showing significantly narrowed the gap, placing it within 1.9 points of the top spot - a much tighter race than the 4.0-point difference observed in July.

The report also highlighted the fierce competition among the next tier of distributors (NBCU, Netflix, FOX, and Paramount), which are now differentiated by less than a single share point. This level of proximity underscores the impact that seasonal content, such as live sports, can have on market share volatility.

These massive football audiences are also proving invaluable for promotional strategies. Broadcasters are leveraging the high viewership to promote their new fall content slates. Evidence of this strategy's success can be seen in the strong starts of non-sports programming like ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, CBS’s Survivor, and NBC’s The Voice, setting the stage for more content premieres in the months ahead.

The Gauge is Nielsen’s monthly snapshot of total broadcast, cable and streaming consumption that occurs through a television screen, providing the industry with a holistic look at what audiences are watching.

www.nielsen.com

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