Olympics, DNC propel NBCU over streamers in August viewership
August was a record-setting month for Comcast Universal.
The legacy media behemoth notched more than 13 percent of total TV viewership last month, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research, the largest by any media company since the company began tracking figures last fall.
Comcast notably outpaced tech giant YouTube, which earned 10 percent of total TV viewership for the month and routinely ranks ahead of legacy broadcast companies like Disney and Fox in terms of total TV viewership.
NBCU’s stable of entities showed double-digit viewership growth across the three main channels that televised its summer Olympics coverage, Nielsen reported.
USA Network viewership jumped 47 percent, Peacock streaming was up 39 percent, and viewing across NBC broadcast affiliates rose 62 percent, the report said.
MSNBC’s coverage of the Democratic National Convention was also a boon to its parent company’s overall audience haul, lifting network viewership by more than 40 percent compared to the previous month, Nielsen found.
NBC Universal, like each of the nation’s largest major media and tech companies, is entering one of its most competitive and scrutinized viewing seasons with the return of fall scripted entertainment programs and live unscripted content like professional football and news coverage of the November presidential election.
“Few measurement intervals are likely to rival the impact the Paris Olympics had on TV consumption throughout July and August,” Nielsen said as part of its analysis of the August data. “While the Games are undoubtedly unique from a cultural and TV programming perspective, NBCU established a successful blueprint for reaching consumers on their viewing platform of choice, which could prove to be an important milestone into the future.”
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