Il cavo registra un aumento del 9% grazie alla forza dei playoff di football universitario e alle notizie, mentre la NFL offre le prime 15 trasmissioni televisive
ESPN (+86%) e FOX News Channel (+17%) rappresentano insieme il 21% degli ascolti via cavo di gennaio.
I programmi "High Potential" e "ABC World News Tonight" della ABC sono in testa alla classifica dei programmi televisivi drammatici e di informazione.
"Stranger Things" torna in cima alla classifica dei programmi in streaming con 15,4 miliardi di minuti di visione a gennaio
NEW YORK – February 17, 2026 – Television viewing climbed to a 12-month high in January 2026, according to Nielsen’s latest report of The Gauge™, the media industry’s leading snapshot of total TV and streaming consumption. Overall viewing was up 3.7% over December, fueled by a 9% monthly increase in cable viewership, in combination with high-stakes sports, returning broadcast dramas and colder winter temperatures that kept audiences indoors.
La TV via cavo ha registrato il maggiore aumento mensile di audience su The Gauge gennaio, rappresentando il 21,2% del totale della TV (+1,0 pt.). L'audience delle trasmissioni sportive via cavo è aumentata del 49% rispetto a dicembre, trainata dalla copertura di ESPN dei playoff del campionato universitario di football americano, che includevano i quarti di finale, le semifinali e le finali. ESPN da sola ha registrato un aumento mensile dell'audience dell'82%. Nel frattempo, le notizie via cavo hanno beneficiato di un ciclo di notizie attivo a gennaio e sono aumentate del 13% rispetto a dicembre, in gran parte grazie a un aumento del 17% degli spettatori per FOX News Channel e a un aumento del 29% per CNN. In particolare, ESPN e FOX News Channel hanno rappresentato ciascuno il 2,2% dell'utilizzo totale della TV a gennaio e, insieme, le due reti hanno costituito il 21% degli ascolti via cavo di questo mese.
Sports remained the anchor for broadcast viewership in January as football continued to dominate the category. NFL games accounted for the top 15 broadcast telecasts, and the sports genre represented the largest share of the category’s viewership (30%). Broadcast dramas were also on the rise (up 24% vs. December), and High Potential on ABC emerged as the most-watched drama program of the month. Similar to cable, the busy news cycle boosted broadcast news viewing by 10% compared to last month, led by ABC World News Tonight. Overall, broadcast viewership was up 4.2% versus December and represented 21.5% of TV.
Following record viewing levels in December, streaming proved its resilience in January. Time spent streaming increased 2.7% month-over-month and the category continued to represent the lion’s share of TV usage with 47.0%. Across the category:
- Netflix mirrored the resilience of streaming following its best monthly performance to date. The platform achieved a steady 1% viewing increase (8.8% of TV) versus December, and owned the top streaming program for a second consecutive month, as Stranger Things tallied 15.4 billion viewing minutes in January.
- Peacock viewership was up 10% in January, bringing the streamer to 1.8% of TV. Peacock’s monthly uptick was driven primarily by the new season of its original series I traditori, and by audiences watching simulcasts of NFL games carried on NBC. This cross-platform amplification was most noticeable on Sunday, January 18 during NBC’s broadcast of the NFL Divisional Playoff matchup between the L.A. Rams and Chicago Bears, which fueled a 78% boost in viewership over its monthly average.
- Tra le piattaforme di streaming gratuite supportate dalla pubblicità, Tubi e The Roku Channel hanno registrato entrambi un aumento mensile. Tubi è cresciuto del 6% rispetto a dicembre, raggiungendo il 2,1% della TV, mentre Roku Channel è cresciuto del 5%, mantenendo per il secondo mese consecutivo la quota di TV più alta della piattaforma, pari al 3,0%.
L'intervallo di gennaio 2026 ha coperto quattro settimane, dal 29/12/2025 al 25/01/2026. I rapporti Nielsen seguono il calendario delle trasmissioni, con intervalli settimanali che iniziano il lunedì.
Informazioni su Gauge
Il 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 Il misuratore del distributore multimediale, which reflects total viewing by media distributor across these categories. Read more about The Gauge methodology and FAQs.
Informazioni su Nielsen
Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences—now and into the future. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook e Instagram).
Press Contact
Lauren Pabst
lauren.pabst@nielsen.com
