October viewing ratings for broadcast TV witness a surge, largely driven by sports and dramatic programming.
In October 2025, the television landscape underwent some significant changes, with growth and shifts occurring across various categories.
Netflix continued its dominance in the streaming world, holding the top five streaming originals for the month. However, the platform saw a minor decrease, with a 4% drop and 7.5% of total TV usage (down 0.4 share points).
Streaming viewership overall remained fairly stable compared to the previous month, with eight of the 11 reported services experiencing minimal changes in viewership. The Roku Channel bucked this trend, witnessing a 12% increase and adding 0.2 share points, finishing the month at 1.8% of television.
The broadcast category, on the other hand, experienced a third consecutive month of growth. With a total increase of 3.7 share points, it accounted for 24% of total time spent watching TV (up 7%). NFL games were the most-watched shows on broadcast, with Fox's Week 7 Kansas City Chiefs-San Francisco 49ers game on Oct. 20 drawing the largest audience with 27 million viewers.
Outside of football, other significant events boosted broadcast viewership. Drama programs saw a 29% increase, while sports viewership experienced a 10% bump. One of the standout events was Game 1 of the World Series on Fox, which notched 15.2 million viewers and became the 17th most-watched telecast.
Cable viewership also saw growth for the first time since April, accounting for 26.3% of total TV usage in October. This increase was largely driven by a 5% gain in news viewing, primarily due to the Oct. 1 vice presidential debate and monthlong coverage leading up to Election Day. As a result, Fox News Channel's vice presidential debate coverage was the second most-watched cable telecast in October, drawing 7.9 million viewers.
The month also saw impressive growth in cable sports and news, with cable sports up 14% compared to October 2023 and cable news up 17%. The ESPN's Chiefs-New Orleans Saints "Monday Night Football" game on Oct. 7 was the most-watched cable telecast with 14 million viewers.
Sports viewing on cable saw a 52% boost in October, driven by NFL "Monday Night Football," college football, and MLB postseason games. This surge in sports viewership contributed to the overall growth in cable viewership.
While detailed official rankings for German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF in October 2025 are not yet available, it's worth noting that in previous years, these broadcasters traditionally had the highest viewer numbers. For instance, shows like the ARD Tatort typically attracted around 11.8 million viewers, and ZDF consistently achieved market shares around 17-20% in some broadcasts.
In conclusion, October 2025 was a month of growth and shifts in the television landscape, with the broadcast and cable categories experiencing significant increases, while streaming viewership remained relatively stable. The surge in sports viewership, particularly NFL games and major events like the World Series, played a significant role in these trends. As we move into the final months of the year, it will be interesting to see how these trends continue to evolve.
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