The share of viewing to broadcast television channels in the United States rose in September to 22.3% from 19.1% the previous month, putting them just fractionally ahead of subscription channels, which rose from 22.5%. Online viewing fell back slightly from 46.4% to 45.2%, its lowest level since May, but continues to exceed that for broadcast and subscription channels combined.
The record increase in viewing of broadcast television channels can be attributed to NFL and college football, with sports accounting for a third of viewing to those channels.
NFL games also helped boost sports viewing on subscription channels, although the primary driver of viewing to those channels was news, which represented over a quarter of their viewing.
On a rounded basis, broadcast and subscription channels each had a 22.3% share.
Notably, viewing gains for broadcast and cable were driven primarily by younger audiences, with the largest monthly increases for both coming from 25–34-year-olds, as viewing to broadcast channels among that age range increased by 65%.
Online viewing continued to dominated television usage, with a 45.2% share, although that was down on the 46.4% the previous month or the high of 47.3% the month before that.
YouTube viewing feel back to 12.6% from 13.4% the previous month, which may be attributable to younger viewers going back to school, although it remined by far the most viewed online platform.
The numbers come from the Nielsen Gauge for four weeks in September.