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Broadcast, cable continue to dominate over streaming in October

An Apple TV remote control.
(Stock photo by James Yarema via Unsplash)

Broadcast and cable television channels and platforms captured the majority of time spent with television in American households in October, according to the latest “The Gauge” report from Nielsen.

The report shows total time spent with broadcast and cable TV was 50.3 percent, or nearly 10 points more than all streaming platforms combined, including Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus.

Nielsen said sports continued to play a big role in broadcasting and cable’s dominance across platforms, with MLB’s World Series, the start of NBA and NHL season and the continuation of the NFL’s season all contributing to traditional TV’s lead.

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Nielsen's The Gauge for October
(Courtesy image)

Nielsen’s cable segment, which earned 26.3 percent of all time spent with TV, includes streaming cable equivalents like YouTube TV, Fubo, Sling TV and DirecTV Stream.

Among streaming platforms, YouTube continued to dominate with 10.6 percent of total time spent with TV, followed by Netflix at 7.5 percent and Prime Video at 3.5 percent.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.