The Scoreboard

From trusted anchors to local headlines, news is the heartbeat of linear TV. It keeps America connected, capturing nearly a third of all viewing hours and remaining a steady presence in living rooms across the country.

Unlike other genres that ebb and flow, news delivers consistency - firmly establishing its role as the go-to source for both national perspective and local connection.

Even as News dominates across markets, the fervor of sports fans continues from opening day to the off-season.

In June 2025, sports programming consistently ranked #2 on linear TV, showing the unmatched ability of live sports to connect locally while drawing fans nationwide.

Dramas aren’t just popular, they’re dominant when it comes to scripted television viewership. Week after week, viewers tune in for the suspense, the twists, and the unforgettable characters that keep them hooked.

From new hits to long-running franchises, one thing’s clear: when it comes to drama, suspense sells.

Every community has its own story, and at Comscore we listen and measure them all.

By capturing insights across all 210 local markets, we are able to gain insights into the behaviors, trends, and preferences that shape the connected communities that serve as the foundation of our business.

Here we are going to shine a spotlight on one such market: Laredo, Texas.

From big-budget blockbusters to unexpected breakouts, moviegoing endures as one of America’s favorite pastimes that unites audiences across communities and generations.

Comscore’s Box Office data reveals the stories powerful enough to pull us off the couch and back into theaters.

Comscore’s latest measurement of generative AI usage reveals how consumers are rapidly embracing tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

From productivity assistants to creative platforms, these early market trends highlight the expansive, and expanding, role that AI plays in shaping the everyday personal and professional lives of consumers.

SEPTEMBER INAUGURAL EDITION

TV TRENDS & REGIONAL VIEW

Topic: Local TV Preferences
Audiences all watch, but not in the same way. Comscore’s local and national measurement reveals how viewing habits shift across markets, uncovering where stories resonate most with audiences.

Data Source: Local and National Linear TV
Passively collected, second-by-second data from Linear TV viewing is captured all day, every day, across both national and local programming across 210 U.S. markets. These inputs are used to estimate the viewing behavior of all TV households, including the ones that are not part of the direct observation. The output delivers ratings, average audience, and total hours viewed at the series and telecast level across broadcast stations and cable networks.

Metrics Used:

• Percent of Total Viewing Hours by Genre: The share of Household Live total viewing hours attributed to each genre, combining both local and national programming. Calculated by summing Household Live Total Hours Viewed by genre and dividing by overall Household Live Total Hours Viewed in the local market. Used for ranking the top genres.
• Top National Series: A ranking of nationally televised series based on Household Live Rating.
• Household Live Rating: The percentage of average audience that tuned in to a program at the time it aired, out of the total audience universe. The average audience is a duration-weighted measure of the audience (e.g.. a household watching half of a telecast has half the weight of a household watching the full telecast).
• Stickiness Index: Represents the percentage of the series run time that the average household watched, relative to all other series, where 100 is average.

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Topic: Welcome To...
Consumers don’t just watch or click—they live, consume media, shop, travel, and share. Comscore’s Plan Metrix provides an in-depth view of consumers and uncovers the lifestyles behind the numbers.

Data Source: Comscore Dmographics and Comscore Plan Metrix for TV and Digital Audiences
Comprehensive and in-depth attitudinal survey data layered on top of passively observed TV and Digital behavior allows us to deeply understand audiences beyond traditional demographics — their interests, attitudes, and lifestyle behaviors — unlocking those high-value insights that matter most to brands.

Metrics Used:

• Household Demographic and Attitudinal Data: Available at the National and Local Market level via Comscore Demographics, Comscore Plan Metrix and Comscore TV’s Household Universe Estimates. These metrics on TV Households include key categories such as Household Race/Ethnicity, Household Composition, Demographics, Household Income, Activities/Sports, Recreation, Interests, Auto, Beauty, Business Purchase Decisions, Convenience Store Shopping, Electronics/Computers, Financial, Food and Beverage, Health, Home & Living, Media Consumption, Mobile, Opinions/Attitudes/Behavior, Personal Entertainment, Retail, Sports/Leisure, Traditional Media, and Travel.
• Digital Metrics: Also available via Digital Plan Metrix Multi-Platform at the National and Regional level (Targets: New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East North Central, East South Central, West North Central, West South Central, Mountain and Pacific regions). Key digital metrics include Total Digital Reach (%), Unique Visitors, and Total Minutes to online properties tracked by Comscore using its Unified Digital Measurement (UDM) methodology.

CONTENT & CONVERSATION

Topic: Social & Content Interconnectedness
Today’s connected consumer doesn’t just watch—they engage. Comscore’s cross-platform measurement captures consumers’ excitement, from the living room screen to the social feed.

Data Source: CTV Service-Level Viewership
Passively captures device and service level viewing behavior in opt-in households across CTV devices. The output captures household reach, time spent, and audience overlaps across major streaming services.

Data Source: Social Buzz
‘Always On’ social content, audience and engagement data collected via APIs and exclusive opt-in consumer datasets to assess social buzz, affinity and sentiment.

Metrics Used:

• Number of U.S. Households: Households that viewed CTV services on a TV Connected device during the month.
• Social Engagements: The social cross-platform number of Comments/Replies, Reactions/Likes, and Shares/Retweets on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok posts.

BOX OFFICE

Topic: Box Office Scoreboard
Every ticket tells a story. Comscore’s movie sales data tracks box office performance across theaters and regions, uncovering which films truly resonate with audiences.

Data Source: Domestic and Worldwide Box Office
Studio-reported domestic and worldwide ticket sales updated daily, with a historical database dating back to the 1970s. Detailed film metadata—including opening day, genre, locations, cast, and crew—provides powerful benchmarks against industry norms.

Metrics Used:

• Domestic Box Office: The total gross revenue generated by a film within the United States and Canada. This measure reflects the theatrical performance in the North American market, reflected in US Dollars.
• Global Box Office: The combined total gross revenue from both Domestic (U.S. & Canada) and International markets. This measure represents a film’s global theatrical performance across all territories, reflected in US Dollars.
• Box Office Norms: Norms are benchmarks created by filtering historical film performance using consistent criteria across multiple dimensions. Titles are grouped based on attributes such as release period, day of week, genre, rating, and country of origin. Performance thresholds (e.g., number of locations, opening weekend/day gross, cumulative box office, preshow revenue) are applied to ensure comparability. For example: the 2025 Summer Trailblazer Norm was defined as PG-13 films released on Fridays in June–August over the past 4 years, opening on 1,000+ locations, with at least $1M cumulative domestic box office.

TRENDLINE

Topic: GenAI Assistants
Consumers aren’t just testing AI—they’re weaving it into everyday life. Comscore’s CustomIQ tracks visitation to leading GenAI Assistant tools, uncovering how these services are transforming productivity, creativity, and connection.

Data Source: Comscore’s CustomIQ GenAI Solutions
Powered by clickstream-level data, CustomIQ measures visits to GenAI entities across desktop and mobile. The solution delivers expanded reporting with the flexibility to group by category, incorporate custom entities, and link to panel demographics for deeper profiling—providing a comprehensive view of AI Assistants within the broader Generative AI ecosystem.

Metrics Used:

• Total Unique Visitors to AI Assistant tools: The count of distinct individuals accessing these services within a specific device type and period. This metric highlights overall reach and adoption of GenAI Assistants in the market.