FOX hits company-high water mark in the Media Distributor Gauge with 8.4% of TV; exhibits largest monthly increase among media companies for second straight month.
Disney repeats as the top media company with 11.7% share of TV in October.
NEW YORK – November 25, 2024 – FOX took full advantage of its multiplatform TV footprint and ability to engage viewers across linear networks in October, leading it to earn an 8.4% share of total TV in Nielsen’s October Media Distributor Gauge—a company best for FOX since these distributor-based calculations began in November 2023. It was also the second straight month that FOX notched the largest monthly increase among all reported media distributors, with overall viewing up 16% in October (+1.1 pts.).
October’s TV landscape featured a wide range of compelling events that drew large audiences across broadcast and cable channels, leading multiplatform media distributors like FOX to thrive on the strength of diverse content offerings. On top of last month’s 69% bump in viewing, FOX broadcast affiliates were up another 16% in October, driven by sporting events including NFL and college football, MLB playoffs and World Series Games 1 and 2. From a cable network perspective, election-related coverage boosted FOX News Channel to a 12% viewing increase in October, and FS1 shot up over 260%, due primarily to its MLB NLCS games. FOX also benefited from a 2.5% lift in Tubi viewing.
Disney also took advantage of its multiplatform capabilities and repeated as the top media company in October, adding 0.4 share points from September to notch 11.7% of overall TV. Disney was buoyed by a 7% increase in viewing to ABC broadcast affiliates as a result of NFL and college football, as well as the consistent performance of ABC World News Tonight. Meanwhile, an 8% bump in viewership to ESPN, driven by both football and baseball, was the largest gain among Disney’s cable networks.
Among the 14 companies reported in the Media Distributor Gauge, 9 of them exhibited monthly shifts of +/- 0.1 share point or less in October. An exception, however, was The Roku Channel, which tallied the second largest monthly increase among distributors with a 12% gain over September to lift the FAST service to a platform-best 1.8% share of TV.
The measurement month of October 2024 included four weeks: 09/30/2024 through 10/27/2024. Nielsen measurement weeks run Monday through Sunday.
About The Gauge™
The Gauge™ is Nielsen’s monthly snapshot of total broadcast, cable and streaming consumption that occurs through a television screen, providing the industry with a holistic look at what audiences are watching. The Gauge was expanded in April 2024 to include The Media Distributor Gauge, which reflects total viewing by media distributor across these categories. Read more about The Gauge methodology and FAQs.
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