Audiences spent quite a lot of time watching television in January, Nielsen says. According to the measurement company’s latest monthly report, TV viewing was up 3.7% over December to a 12-month high, fueled mostly by sports.
Thanks to a massive surge in sports watching, cable TV captured the largest increase in monthly viewing. ESPN alone saw an 82% uptick in viewing, thanks in large part to the network’s coverage of the College Football Playoffs.
Overall viewing was up 3.7% over December, fueled by a 9% monthly increase in cable viewership, in combination with high-stakes sports, returning broadcast dramas and colder winter temperatures that kept audiences indoors. Cable news also benefited from the active news cycle, up 13% overall from December.
Broadcast also benefited from sports, which made up 30% of the category’s viewing for January. NFL games accounted for the top 15 broadcast programs of the month. Broadcast dramas were also up 24% versus December, thanks to the midseason return of several, including ABC’s High Potential, which emerged as the most-watched drama program of the month.
On streaming, viewing was up 2.7% month-over-month as the category continued to make up a majority of TV usage. Netflix stole 8.8% of TV due in large part to the continued success of Stranger Things. The popular show tallied 15.4B viewing minutes in January after the series finale dropped on New Year’s Eve.
Peacock viewership was up 10% in January, bringing the streamer to 1.8% of TV. The growth was driven by both NFL and a new season of The Traitors, Nielsen says.
See more below.
