The Gauge, Nielsen‘s recently created monthly total TV and streaming snapshot, has just released its latest data portrait, reflecting the month of September.
Here’s the good news for broadcast television: the share of total TV viewing saw a 2% increase.
Now, for the not-so-lovely news: The gain puts broadcasters as recipients of 26% of consumers’ total TV time.
“The boost,” as Nielsen calls it, comes on the heels of “a strong ratings start” to the NFL season, as well as the beginning of the traditional TV season on September 20.
Still, the consumer share of TV time for both cable and streaming remained flat at 38% and 28%, respectively.
At the same time, the “Other” category—which includes and is reflective of video game usage—was down from 10% to 8%.
This 2% decline, Nielsen concludes, was driven by a combination of video game users turning off their collective controllers and heading back to the classrooms as well as a shift of attention from gaming to the gridiron.
Looking at the streaming platforms themselves, data from Nielsen’s Streaming Platform Ratings show both Netflix and Disney+ each ticking down a percentage point from August. Netflix now commands 6% share of total TV time, while Disney+ holds 1% of share of overall TV time. Hulu and Amazon Prime Video remained steady at 3% and 2%, respectively.
