Nielsen's The Gauge: Monthly Total TV And Streaming Snapshot For September Details Broadcast Uptick As TV And NFL Seasons Kick Off

Viewers ready for some football and new TV offerings powered an increase in broadcast share according to The Gauge

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Oct 14, 2021, 11:43 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) announced that The Gauge, its monthly total TV and streaming snapshot, revealed that in September 2021 broadcasters share of total TV viewing saw a 2% increase, giving them 26% of consumers' total TV time.

The boost comes on the heels of a strong ratings start to the NFL season as well as the beginning of the TV season on September 20.

While consumer share of TV time for both cable and streaming remained flat at 38% and 28%, respectively, notable in this month's iteration of The Gauge, the "Other" category—which includes and is reflective of video game usage—was down from 10% to 8%. This 2% decline 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, according to data from Nielsen's Streaming Platform Ratings, the foundation of The Gauge's streaming insights, both Netflix and Disney+ each ticked 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.

Measuring and monitoring consumers' streaming behavior in a comparable way against linear TV usage is a critical source of information for the industry as content creators, media companies, streaming platforms, advertisers, industry groups, talent agencies and the talent themselves all seek clarity around the various video content that consumers engage with.

About The Gauge
Nielsen's The Gauge is underpinned by both its TV ratings service as well as Streaming Platform Ratings, the latter provides clients with measurement detailing the amount of time consumers spend streaming and on which platforms. This broad look at platform usage provides complimentary insights to Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings, which details viewing to subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) content at the title, program and episode level. By showcasing both the micro and macro-level data sets, the industry has a full picture of how this media is being consumed, as well as when and by whom. Nielsen's approach to audience measurement, which leverages a geographically representative panel of real people and big data, is built for the future of media consumption. With The Gauge, the future of TV consumption is visible in a single view. The latest edition of The Gauge is always available at www.nielsen.com/thegauge.

About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a leading global data and analytics company that provides a holistic and objective understanding of the media industry. With offerings spanning audience measurement, audience outcomes and content, Nielsen offers its clients and partners simple solutions to complex questions and optimizes the value of their investments and growth strategies. It is the only company that can offer de-duplicated cross-media audience measurement. Audience is EverythingTM to Nielsen and its clients, and Nielsen is committed to ensuring that every voice counts.

An S&P 500 company, Nielsen offers measurement and analytics service in more than 55 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com or www.nielsen.com/investors and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

SOURCE Nielsen