By Mallory Mattingly
YouTube, Netflix and Disney snagged the top spots on Nielsen’s The Gauge as the most-watched companies for August, according to Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge.
YouTube led, pulling 13.1% of viewing. Disney came second with a share of 9.7%, “driven by a 4% bump for ABC affiliates and 25% surge for ESPN due to the return of football season,” according to The Wrap. Netflix rounded out the top three with 8.7%, a 0.1 share point drop.
The football season kickoff boosted Fox as well, as Fox affiliates contributed to a 14% monthly uptick, helping the company represent 6.7% of TV.
“Football also contributed to gains for NBCUniversal and Paramount, which rounded out the top five at 7.6% and 7.1% of TV viewing, respectively,” The Wrap said.
“The return of football boosted viewership for Disney & FOX in August, while YouTube (13.1%) & Netflix (8.7%) held strong despite back-to-school streaming dips,” Nielsen summarized on X.
Related: Nielsen Data Shows Streaming Overtakes Broadcast With All-Time High in TV Usage
NEW 🔥: The return of football boosted viewership for Disney & FOX in August, while YouTube (13.1%) & Netflix (8.7%) held strong despite back-to-school streaming dips. Check out the latest Media Distributor Gauge: https://t.co/ikK2Zeugjl pic.twitter.com/XbKTCEdhxB
— Nielsen (@nielsen) September 23, 2025
Broadcast viewership ticked up for the first time since May, also thanks to football.
“Across the five-week measurement interval, the peak in broadcast viewership occurred during the final week of the month (08/25/25-08/31/25), coinciding with the official return of college football. FOX’s first BIG NOON SATURDAY game of the season between Ohio State and Texas on August 30 drew the largest telecast audience this month with over 16.6 million viewers,” Nielsen said.
Disney expects Jimmy Kimmel’s return to air to boost its viewership as well.
According to NBC News, “Jimmy Kimmel’s return to late-night television after a brief suspension drew 6.26 million total viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings, marking the show’s highest-performing regularly scheduled episode in over a decade.”
In less than 24 hours, Kimmel’s show received over 26 million views across YouTube.
He was suspended last week after making comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. According to Fox News, he “accused conservatives of reaching ‘new lows’ in trying to pin a left-wing ideology on 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson, even though prosecutors reaffirmed those ties in Tuesday’s indictment.”
In a statement from Nexstar Media Group, which owns hundreds of television stations, said they will continue to “evaluate the status” of Kimmel’s performance.
“We are engaged in productive discussions with executives at The Walt Disney Company, with a focus on ensuring the program reflects and respects the diverse interests of the communities we serve,” the company said.
Will YouTube, Netflix and Disney dominated in September? Time will tell.
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