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Nielsen: Household TV Viewing Hit 12-Month High in January
February 17, 2026
Television viewing climbed to a 12-month high in January, rising 3.7% from 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, according to new Nielsen monthly data.
Cable captured the largest monthly viewing increase at 21.2% of total TV. Cable sports viewing surged 49%, propelled by ESPN’s coverage of the college football playoffs, which included the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games.
ESPN alone saw an 82% monthly viewing uptick. Meanwhile, cable news rose 13%, largely driven by a 17% viewership gain for Fox News, plus a 29% gain for CNN. Notably, ESPN and Fox News each represented 2.2% of total TV usage in January, and together, the two networks comprised 21% of the month’s cable viewing.
Sports remained the anchor for broadcast viewership 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%), with “High Potential” on ABC the most-watched drama program of the month. Similarly to cable, the news cycle boosted broadcast news viewing by 10%, led by “ABC World News Tonight.” Overall, broadcast viewership was up 4.2% 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%.
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%, bringing the streamer to 1.8% of TV. Peacock’s monthly uptick was driven primarily by the new season of its original series “The Traitors,” and by audiences watching simulcasts of NFL games carried on NBC.
This cross-platform amplification was most noticeable on Jan. 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.
Across the free ad-supported streaming platforms, Tubi and The Roku Channel each claimed monthly increases. Tubi was up 6% to notch 2.1% of TV, and The Roku Channel increased 5% to maintain its platform-best 3% share of TV for a second-consecutive month.
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