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(Reuters) – In August, more people in the U.S. turned to traditional TV for news and drama shows, with the start of back-to-school season putting a slight dent in streaming viewership, market researcher Nielsen said.
The combined share of broadcast and cable TV rose to 50.6% of total TV usage in August from 49.6% in July, according to Nielsen’s monthly report on the state of the television market.
Traditional television was boosted by a 1.7% increase in cable, fueled by the NFL’s season kickoff and the first Republican candidate debate that kicked off the U.S. presidential election cycle.
Television viewership, which has been declining since January, rose 1.6% in August, thanks to shows like “America’s Got Talent” on NBC and “Big Brother” on CBS.
However, drama and news remained the most watched genres, accounting for 16.9% and 24.8% of August’s viewership respectively.
Streaming saw a 1.6% sequential decline in viewers to 38.3% last month, but still accounted for the largest share of viewers.
Nearly 80% of the decline was attributed to younger viewers, ages 2 to 17, returning to school after a summer surge in viewership.
Nielsen said that despite the seasonal weakness in streaming, the category has gained 7.0 share points since August last year.
Comcast’s Peacock (NASDAQ:) posted the biggest gains among streaming services last month, powered by events like “WWE SummerSlam,” shared coverage of the “NFL Hall of Fame Game” and the success of “The Super Mario Brothers Movie.”
Legal dramas “Suits” and “The Lincoln Lawyer” were the top two streaming titles in August, Nielsen said.