Kansas City Chiefs, World Series and TV Dramas Boost Broadcast to Highest Usage Share Since January

By Lucas Manfredi

Broadcast viewership was boosted by the NFL, MLB and popular drama series in October, with the category growing 7% month-over-month to finish with a total TV usage share of 24% — its largest share since January and the third consecutive month of growth.

The gains were driven by a 29% increase in viewing of drama programs and 10% bump in sports viewership, with the NFL accounting for the top 16 most-watched programs. The Week 7 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers drew October’s largest audience with 27 million viewers on Fox. Outside of football, Game 1 of the World Series on Fox notched 15.2 million viewers and captured 17th on the list of top telecasts.