The kickoff of football season brought welcome momentum to traditional television in August, according to Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge for August. For Disney and FOX, college football and the NFL translated into measurable share gains, just as streaming platforms contended with seasonal slowdowns tied to back-to-school viewing shifts.
Disney grew its share of total TV usage to 9.7% in August, up 0.3 points from July, as coverage of college football and NFL preseason fueled viewing. ABC affiliates gained 4% and ESPN surged 25% during the month. FOX affiliates also benefited from football, climbing 14% and raising the company’s overall share to 6.7%, an increase of 0.2 points.
While the full impact of football will not be captured until September, late-August viewing already pointed upward. Comparing the first and last weeks of the month, FOX affiliates gained 36%, ABC affiliates rose 29%, and ESPN spiked 196%, aided by the season premiere of College GameDay. Disney’s share started August at 8.9% and closed the month at 11.5%.
The gains helped counter back-to-school declines among younger viewers, which pressured streaming. YouTube, the leading distributor, slipped 0.3 points but remained first with 13.1% of total TV time. Netflix held third place with 8.7%, down 0.1 points, supported by owning the top four streaming titles in August.
NBCUniversal and Paramount held steady from July, finishing at 7.6% and 7.1%, respectively. Like Disney and FOX, both companies saw contributions from their broadcast affiliates as football returned to the schedule. Warner Bros. Discovery ended August with 5.8%, while Amazon, the Roku Channel, and Scripps followed at 3.9%, 2.8%, and 2.2%.
Nielsen’s August reporting covered a five-week interval from July 28 through August 31. The company follows the broadcast calendar, with weekly intervals beginning on Monday.
