Ad-supported television viewing hit its 2025 peak in the fourth quarter, capturing nearly three-quarters of all TV time, according to a new report from Nielsen. The surge challenges the narrative of linear TV's decline, driven largely by the massive draw of live football and a surprising return of younger audiences to broadcast channels.
A rising tide: The 9% quarterly growth for the ad-supported category topped the 7% growth for total TV viewing overall. While streaming still commands the largest slice of the ad-supported pie at nearly 46%, it was broadcast television that saw the most dramatic growth.
The gridiron effect: Broadcast viewership jumped 22% in Q4, its biggest gain of the year, thanks almost entirely to football. Sports viewing on the platform skyrocketed 135%, accounting for more than a third of the category's entire audience and demonstrating the immense power of live sports.
Cord-nevers return: Fueling broadcast's resurgence was a surprising demographic: 25-34 year olds. Viewership from this group spiked by 41%, with the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demo also seeing a 31% lift, showing that appointment viewing can still pull younger audiences back to traditional TV.
The data underscores a key lesson for the media industry: live, must-see events like major sports remain one of the most effective tools for assembling a large, cross-generational audience on any platform, including traditional broadcast.
