Football Scores Extra Points for Multi-Platform Companies

The return of football in September generated a massive spike in television viewership and tangibly impacted the competitive landscape among media companies, according to Nielsen’s latest Media Distributor Gauge report. Disney, FOX, NBCUniversal and Paramount each experienced double-digit viewing increases compared to August levels, largely on the strength of NFL and college football coverage, with broadcast affiliates accounting for a large portion of the growth.

FOX exhibited the largest proportional growth of the four as viewing rose 20% in September, translating to a gain of 1.2 share points to finish with 7.9% of TV watch-time. Disney added 1.0 share point in September as its overall viewership climbed 13% over August, bringing the No. 2 distributor to 10.7% of TV. Half of Disney’s share increase was attributable to ESPN, which saw a 65% lift in viewership this month. NBCU also added a full share point as a result of a 16% viewing uptick, concluding the month with 8.6% of TV. Paramount represented 7.7% of TV in September following an 11% viewing increase and 0.6 additional share points. These positive shifts drove two notable changes in the rankings this month: FOX advanced from sixth position to fifth, and NBCU surpassed Netflix to reclaim third place.

YouTube maintained its position as the top media distributor, capturing 12.9% of total TV watch-time in September. Disney’s 10.7% share put it within 1.9 points of the top spot, however, significantly narrowing the gap from the 4.0-point difference observed in July. The competition between the next four distributors was particularly fierce, with NBCU, Netflix, FOX and Paramount differentiated by less than a share point (compared to a 2.0-point range in August).

Media Distributor Gauge_27 Oct 2025

These massive football audiences also provide broadcasters the opportunity to promote new, non-sports content slates. Disney, Paramount and NBCU appear to be leaning into this strategy, as ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, CBS’s Survivor and NBC’s The Voice have all started strong, setting the stage for more premieres in the months ahead.

The September 2025 monthly interval spanned four weeks: 09/01/2025 through 09/28/2025. Nielsen reporting follows the broadcast calendar, with weekly intervals running Monday through Sunday.