Nielsen has released its latest “Gauge” data update for October 2024, which has given us a broad overview of how Americans watch television. This includes linear and streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu.   The report has revealed that television viewership in November increased by 5%, making it the largest monthly viewing total since February. 

TV viewership in the November interval was primarily impacted by sports, the presidential election, and live streaming, all of which drove peak shares of TV for viewing categories in separate weeks this month.

The biggest reason for the boost in viewership was sports, including the World Series, NFL, and college football, which has increased the overall broadcast television percentage.  There was also an increase in broadcast viewership in November due to the presidential election.

This highlights why Disney has been pushing live news and sports into Disney+, as its one area the streaming services need to improve to compete with broadcast networks, especially with the launch of ABC News Live in September on Disney+.

Streaming viewership increased 7.6% in the November interval and the category posted a record share of TV with 41.6% (+1.1 pt.). Some of this increase can be attributed to viewers seeking solace from the atypical, election-fueled news cycle covered by many traditional TV networks, and was also illustrated by the streaming category reaching 42.6% of TV viewing during the third week of the interval. Moreover, Netflix also exhibited peak viewership during week three when it hit 8.5% of TV (compared to its overall monthly share of 7.7%). This peak for Netflix coincides with the live-streamed Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match, and was also fueled by viewing to its original series The Lincoln Lawyer, which was the most watched streaming program this interval with 3.9 billion viewing minutes.

There were also three streaming services that notched platform-best shares of TV in November, including The Roku Channel (up 12% to 1.9% of TV), Prime Video (up 10% to 3.7% of TV), and YouTube, which secured a new category record with 10.8% of TV. Peacock, while short of its Olympics-driven platform record, still drew the largest monthly increase among streamers for 1.5% of TV (+0.2 pt.). Peacock’s considerable increase was partially due to Despicable Me 4, which drove 1.5 billion viewing minutes and a 58% increase in kids viewing on the platform.

Disney+ and Hulu combined makeup 5.6% of the streaming viewership, highlighting the power of the two streaming services together, but also explaining why Disney is trying to bring in Hulu and ESPN to Disney+.

Roger’s Take:  One of the interesting things with Nielsen’s Gauge report is how it compares all the different television platforms against each other in terms of viewership.  Because all of these platforms vary significantly in their business model, with YouTube focusing on user-generated content, Tubi/Roku are free ad-supported services, while it also compares the premium streaming platforms.  All of these platforms are not equal, but it also can give us an idea of where the audience is spending its time.

Did you watch Disney+ or Hulu more in November?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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