October 2024 TV Viewing Trends: Broadcast and Cable Surge as Streaming Declines

Broadcast Viewing Trends in Fall 2024

Broadcast viewing in the fall typically increases. This trend is evident in October 2024. Broadcasters achieved their highest share of TV viewing in the U.S. in nine months, capturing 24% of all viewing. This marks a gain of 1.4 percentage points from September.

The NFL dominated October’s ratings. The 16 most-watched broadcasts were NFL games. The game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, aired by Fox on October 20, attracted 27 million viewers. Overall, sports viewing on broadcast networks rose by 10% compared to the previous month.

Broadcast dramas also gained popularity. Viewers spent 29% more time watching network dramas in October than in September. All five major English-language networks aired hour-long series this month.

Cable viewership rose for the first time since April, reaching a share of 26.3%. Sports contributed significantly to this increase, with cable sports viewing jumping by 52% from September. News viewing also grew by 5%.

Streaming platforms experienced a decline in viewership share. Streaming accounted for 40.5% of TV use in October, down from 41% or more in each of the past three months. Other TV activities, such as gaming and media playback, fell to 9.2%, marking its first drop below 10% in a year.

YouTube was the leading streaming platform, capturing 10.6% of all TV use. This was three points higher than Netflix, which ranked second.

Nielsen’s Gauge figures for October 2024 reflect these trends.