Broadcast Pulls Even With Streaming in October TV Usage

Broadcast networks recorded their highest share of total TV use in months during October, matching the time viewers spent with streaming platforms. In the weekly rankings, meanwhile, Netflix’s You ended Squid Game‘s run at the top of the charts.

That’s the latest finding from Nielsen’s monthly Gauge snapshot of total TV usage in the United States. For October, broadcast and streaming each commanded 28 percent of viewers’ time. While streaming was flat compared to September, broadcast grew by two points, fueled largely by sports — the NFL, baseball’s postseason and the start of the NBA and NHL seasons — and fall dramas, per Nielsen. It was the second straight month of growth for broadcasters and its best showing in the five months of Nielsen’s Gauge reports.

Related Stories

TV

How Broadcast Stacks Up With Streaming in Total Minutes Viewed

Business

Why Streamers Are Stalling on Sharing Data

Cable remained first among platforms, though it slipped one point to 37 percent of usage. Other TV use, including gaming, video on demand and physical media playback, slipped to 6 percent.

Netflix was the to streaming platform, accounting for 7 percent of all TV use and up a point from September thanks in part to shows like Squid Game, You and Maid. Nielsen says the total viewing time for Netflix rose by 5.5 percent month to month.

Here’s the monthly breakdown.

Platforms

Cable: 37 percent
Broadcast: 28 percent
Streaming: 28 percent
Other: 6 percent

Streaming Services

Netflix: 7 percent
YouTube (including YouTube TV): 6 percent
Hulu (including Hulu + Live): 3 percent
Prime Video: 2 percent
Disney+: 1 percent
Others: 9 percent

In the weekly rankings for Oct. 18-24, You recored 2.68 billion minutes — or about 44.7 million hours, in Netflix’s new preferred metric — an improvement of 38 percent over the previous week. It passed Squid Game, which drew a still very strong 1.68 billion minutes, ending the Korean hit’s No. 1 streak at four weeks. Locke & Key made its debut on the chart with 637 million minutes for the week its second season premiered.

Nielsen’s streaming ratings cover viewing on TV sets only and don’t include minutes watched on computers or mobile devices. The ratings only measure U.S. audiences, not those in other countries, and currently only include Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix and Prime Video.

Nielsen’s top streaming series for Oct. 18-24 are below.

Original Series

1. You (Netflix), 2.68 billion minutes viewed
2. Squid Game (Netflix), 1.68 billion
3. Maid (Netflix), 865 million
4. Locke & Key (Netflix), 637 million
5. The Great British Baking Show (Netflix), 483 million
6. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), 386 million
7 (tie). Another Life (Netflix), 304 million
Midnight Mass (Netflix), 304 million
9. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), 291 million
10. My Name (Netflix), 275 million

Acquired Series

1. Shameless (Netflix), 851 million minutes
2. Cocomelon (Netflix), 748 million
3. In the Dark (Netflix), 608 million
4. Seinfeld (Netflix), 595 million
5. The Blacklist (Netflix), 586 million
6. NCIS (Netflix), 540 million
7. Criminal Minds (Netflix), 510 million
8. Grey’s Anatomy (Netflix), 433 million
9. Legacies (Netflix), 379 million
10. Riverdale (Netflix), 359 million

Nov. 18, 1:50 p.m. This story initially had an incorrect number of minutes watched for Squid Game.