Nielsen Snapshot: Hispanics and October Viewing Trends

   Sports Viewing Preferences

Although Hispanic Heritage Month is officially over, TV viewing is a year-round sport and Hispanics are some of the biggest sports watchers, especially in October which, debatably, is the best month to be a sports fan. With the World Series, MLB Playoffs, NBA and NHL seasons beginning, and NFL, College sports, and Major League Soccer in full swing, how could a sports fan not love October? With all of these viewing options, Hispanic sports fans are heavily watching NFL, MLB, and NBA. Not surprisingly, Hispanic adults are 67% more likely to watch Major League Soccer (MLS) than the average American due, in part, to the cultural importance soccer plays in the lives of many Hispanics.


Television Viewing Habits – Local News on Top

Hispanic adults typically watch more local news programming than non-Hispanic adults. This is especially true for late night local news in which 29% of Hispanic adults tune in compared to the national average of 20% (147 index). Diving deeper, Spanish Dominant Hispanics are 28% more likely to tune in to their nightly local news than English Dominant counterparts with Hispanics at 37%  and 21% respectively.

Telenovelas

When it comes to specific television programming, Hispanic viewership is relatively similar to the average adult in the U.S. However, one particular category that is watched dramatically more often by Hispanics is Telenovelas. Telenovela is, in Spanish, a combination of the words for television and novel and the soap opera-esque nature of these shows is extremely popular among this demo.

Eighteen percent (377 index) of Hispanic adults tune in to watch their favorite telenovelas compared to just shy of 5% of total adults. As we dig even deeper, insights from Nielsen Scarborough data shows that a whopping 29% (594 index) of Spanish speaking adults tune in to Telenovelas. The top ranking DMA’s by penetration for novella programming among Spanish Dominant Hispanics are:

 


 

 

 

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