According to the latest Nielsen Media Distributor Gauge for October, sports continued to be the gift that keeps on giving, and a new broadcast season gave the traditional TV players a one-two punch, leading to a reshuffling of the media rankings.
The latest report, which examines total viewing consumption through television screens by media distributors across broadcast, cable, and streaming, found that Disney, NBCUniversal, Fox, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery received a boost from a packed sporting month featuring the NFL, college football, the MLB postseason, and the start of the NBA season.
October was a great month for Disney, as it saw the largest share increase of 0.7% from the previous month, to 11.4%. Within that, ESPN, with its jam-packed schedule, and ABC affiliates, which welcomed new original primetime programming in addition to having sports, each saw a +9% increase in viewership compared to September. Meanwhile, Disney’s streaming services, including Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu, recorded a +7 % month-to-month increase.
Looking at the overall chart, YouTube remained the most-watched media entity in October, with a 12.9% showing, a +0.3% improvement from September.
Disney remained in second place, followed by NBCU, which remained flat with 8.6%. Leaping to fourth place from fifth is Fox Corp with 8.4%, a +0.5% improvement from the previous month.
Paramount rounded out the top five with 8.2%, and just like Fox, it improved its month-to-month performance with a +0.5% gain.
The biggest loser in the great resurgence of legacy organizations is Netflix, which dropped two spots to No. 6 with 8.0%, a -0.3% decline from September.
Warner Bros. Discovery continued to occupy seventh place with a 5.6% share, a +0.2% gain from the previous month.
Amazon remained at No. 8, slipping -0.1% to 3.8%. The Roku Channel held firm at 2.8%, taking ninth place in TV usage.
Scripps rounded out the top 10 with a 1.9% share, experiencing a downward trend of -0.2% when compared to its September performance.
Of note, Hallmark posted the largest increase in watch time in October, with viewership surging +11% compared to the previous month. This landed it in 12th place, up from 13th with a 1.0% share in TV usage, a +0.1% improvement from the previous month, powered by a rise in movie viewership.
See the media distribution ranking below:
