TV news networks were a a ‘vital source of information’ as views soared in Houston during Hurricane Harvey
Comscore has revealed data showing that members of the public in Houston increasingly tuned into the TV news networks for the latest information during a tumultuous season of hurricanes, Harvey and Irma.
MSNBC's hurricane coverage
The company studied how Hurricane Harvey uprooted TV viewing figures in Houston, displacing thousands and causing outages throughout the state. However, TV viewing figures actually spiked in the Houston and Beaumont TV markets. It managed to produce viewing estimates during the storm despite the power outages and home abandonment that occurred during the period. The company compared views on the 20 September against the 27th when the hurricane landed.
In Houston, the combined total-day average audience for the ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates was more than 537,000 households during Hurricane Harvey, a 140% increase on the previous week, by all means an average week in comparison. The share of viewership to the four major affiliate stations increased by 62% too.
In Beaumont during Hurricane Harvey, the major TV stations' average audience was double that of the relevant cable channels across the entire broadcast day, and represented an 89% increase in viewership versus the prior week's audiences.
Steve Walsh, executive vice president of local television at Comscore, said: “The Hurricane-related devastation in Texas and Florida reminds us all that Mother Nature can unleash terrible fury upon us and our neighbors from time to time, and local television stations have been, and clearly remain, a vital source of information for viewers across the country in times of severe trouble in local markets.
"We are pleased that comScore Local TV measurement can withstand the impact of weather-related power outages and continue to reflect real viewing activity as it happens, providing local markets large and small with the viewing data they need to understand their audiences."