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Traditional TV Ratings Plummet: Broadcast Down 23%, Cable Down 30% YOY
ByAinvest
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2025 11:03 pm ET1min read
Traditional TV viewership continues to decline, with broadcast and cable prime time commercial ratings down 23% and 39% YoY, respectively, in Q3 2025. Cable total day viewership has dropped 49% YoY, with Comcast facing the most severe collapse. The weakness is broad-based across genres, with FOX being an exception due to strong growth at Fox News.
Traditional TV viewership continues to decline, with broadcast and cable prime time commercial ratings down 23% and 39% year-over-year (YoY), respectively, in Q3 2025. Cable total day viewership has dropped 49% YoY, with Comcast facing the most severe collapse. The weakness is broad-based across genres, with FOX being an exception due to strong growth at Fox News.According to a new report from Goldman Sachs, citing its Nielsen TV ratings tracker, audience erosion is accelerating in both broadcast and cable compared to earlier in 2025. Prime time commercial ratings for broadcast excluding sports were down 23% YoY in 3Q25-to-date, while including sports, the ratings decreased 39% YoY. Cable prime time commercial ratings declined by 30% YoY [3].
The report notes that even the stabilizing effect of sports was not enough to offset the sharp decline in prime time viewership. This trend is particularly evident in cable, where total day viewership has dropped 49% YoY. Comcast, a major player in the cable industry, has seen the most severe collapse in viewership.
Despite these declines, Fox News has shown strong growth, bucking the overall trend. This growth is likely driven by its unique content offerings and the increased demand for news programming.
The decline in traditional TV viewership is a significant indicator of the ongoing shift towards streaming services. Streaming platforms like Disney+, Netflix, and Hulu have seen substantial growth in subscriber numbers and revenue, further eroding the market share of traditional TV providers.
Investors should closely monitor these trends as they impact the financial performance of traditional TV companies. The shift towards streaming is likely to continue, with companies like Disney and Comcast investing heavily in their streaming platforms to capture a larger share of the market.
References:
[1] https://www.ainvest.com/news/disney-q3-earnings-exceed-estimates-linear-tv-declines-rising-capex-2508/
[2] https://www.ainvest.com/news/lee-enterprises-q3-2025-earnings-navigating-digital-transformation-ai-driven-growth-long-term-2508/
[3] https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/audience-erosion-accelerates-across-traditional-tv
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