Ad-supported TV viewing accounted for 72.9% of overall viewership in the third quarter of 2025, with streaming capturing 46.4% of the total, followed by cable (27.2%) and broadcast (26.4%).
July marked one of the strongest months of the year for streaming consumption due to kids and teens being on summer vacation and was a lighter month for ad-supported viewing. After peaking in July with 48% of the overall ad supported pie, streaming lost 3.6 share points, representing 44.4% during the September interval, while broadcast gained 4.4 share points, jumping to 29.1% thanks to a strong sports slate. Cable remained fairly consistent over this period.
Fueled by football season, ad-supported TV viewing peaked at 74.7% of overall viewership in September.
Meanwhile, adults ages 18 and over accounted for 75.1% of ad-supported television’s share. Streaming dropped to a 42.4% share — a 4-point decline that was equally distributed between broadcast and cable, bumping them to 28.4% and 29.2%, respectively.
The latest on ad-supported TV viewership comes after Nielsen reported that streaming accounted for 45.7% of overall TV viewership in October, while broadcast made up 22.9% and cable made up 22.2%.
When looking by media company, YouTube led with a 12.9% share, followed by Disney at 11.4%, NBCUniversal at 8.6%, Fox at 8.4%, Paramount at 8.2%, Netflix at 8%, Warner Bros. Discovery at 5.6% and Amazon at 3.8%.
The viewership gains were driven by sports, including the NFL and the MLB playoffs, as well as the broadcast schedule, which was led by CBS’ “Tracker,” “60 Minutes” and “Matlock.”
