YouTube crossed a critical threshold in August as the social video platform captured more than 15 percent of time spent with television in American households, according to the latest installment of Nielsen’s “The Gauge” report.
The report, which covers the measurement month of August, said total time spent with TV was predictably lower across the board as Americans had fewer live sports options and returned to work and school following summer breaks.
On its own, YouTube captured 15.6 percent of all time spent with TV during the measurement month, a record for the platform, Nielsen noted. The inclusion of YouTube on the monthly reports has long been controversial because YouTube does not allow Nielsen to measure and report precisely what people are watching on the video platform, aside from a few one-off events like National Football League (NFL) games that are exclusive to the service.
Nielsen is typically more generous with insights into what people are watching across other streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video, and on broadcast and cable TV networks, which comprise the rest of its monthly reports. The Desk largely stopped reporting on The Gauge earlier this year after Nielsen withheld a scheduled release following criticism from some of its TV clients about the report’s methodology and findings around the Super Bowl. (The Desk continues to report other data from Netflix, including its quarterly Ad-Supported Gauge report and weekly ratings data; earlier this month, Nielsen said it is working on a new cross-platform measurement solution that will improve reporting across its products, including The Gauge.)
The summer months typically see less time spent with TV networks on account of the busy vacation schedules of Americans and a lack of live premium events, particularly in August, when the National Football League (NFL) is airing pre-season games and other sports like basketball and hockey are in their off seasons. Major League Baseball still gets some sports fans tuning in, but not at the same level as NFL and National Basketball Association events.
Broadcast and cable networks did benefit from higher interest in news during the August measurement month, with Americans tuning in for information about candidates and causes leading up to the midterm political election. News interest has also been generally higher during the second term of President Donald Trump, which offers no shortage of newsworthy events and scandals to cover.
News and drama TV series — some might argue they’re practically the same genre these days — represented 18 percent and 22 percent of overall broadcast TV viewing in August, Nielsen said. Broadcast networks lost 2 percent share compared to the prior month on account of fewer premium sports aired on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and the CW Network. Cable networks saw a 3 percent dip in time spent with TV, though Fox News and ESPN continued to pull in strong audiences with their political commentary and college sports games, respectively.
YouTube aside, the Walt Disney Company was the top media distributor in August, capturing 9.3 percent of time spent with TV across ABC, its Disney-owned cable networks and streaming platforms like Hulu and Disney Plus. ABC’s “World News Tonight” was one of the top broadcast programs in America by overall audience, according to Nielsen ratings reviewed by The Desk.
Netflix dipped to 7.7 percent of time spent with TV as engagement waned during the August months — something that Netflix’s executives acknowledged during a video interview following its third quarter (Q3) earnings report earlier this week. Last week, Netflix confirmed it was eliminating jobs affecting 6 percent of its global workforce, largely because of a slowdown in its overall business.
