Crisp air, cozy weekends, and TVs glowing in living rooms across the country—fall is when screens become the centerpiece of our routines. Between football season, new show premieres, and holiday specials, Q4 delivers one of the biggest audience surges of the year. For brands, this isn’t just another quarter—it’s the quarter.
At Diray Media, we see this pattern play out every year. Q4 is not just another season. It is the moment when viewership habits peak, and advertisers who understand how to show up here drive real results.
Football Kicks Things Off
Football is the heartbeat of Q4, and its grip on audiences is unmatched. The 2024–25 NFL season averaged 17.5 million viewers per game. Sunday Night Football alone pulled in over 21 million viewers on average, keeping its crown as the number one primetime program for the 14th straight year.
And while linear TV still carries the bulk of football’s audience, streaming has quickly become part of the playbook. Amazon’s Thursday Night Football grew 11% year over year, proving that fans will follow the game wherever it is available.
Football isn’t background noise. It is appointment viewing. People gather, food is on the table, and the TV is the centerpiece. Commercials land differently here. They are not skipped or scrolled past. They are watched, talked about, and remembered. For advertisers, that kind of attention is gold.
Fall Premieres Keep the Momentum
When the games end, the premieres begin. Networks and streaming platforms stack the season with new dramas, reality series, and holiday specials, knowing audiences are already in “watch mode.”
- Nielsen reports that TV usage typically climbs 10 to 15% from October through December compared to summer.
- Streaming platforms drop some of their biggest releases right in this window, aiming to capture audiences already primed by football and holiday routines.
- Families gather to watch new shows, seasonal movies, and live events, making Q4 a mix of tradition and fresh content that keeps eyeballs on screens night after night.
This is not just TV watching. It is a cultural rhythm. And it creates a surge of attention that advertisers can tap into if they know how to show up.
Why Both Linear and Streaming Matter
Here is the real takeaway. You cannot treat linear and streaming as separate worlds anymore. Viewers don’t.
- Linear TV delivers massive audiences at once. NFL games, premieres, and holiday specials create moments where tens of millions tune in together.
- Streaming gives viewers control. They can watch when they want, where they want, and how they want. It is flexible, targeted, and sticky.
- And viewers move between the two seamlessly. They watch the big game live on cable, then stream their favorite series on demand during the week.
For advertisers, the only winning strategy is to be on both. One without the other leaves gaps. The audience is too fragmented to risk putting all your weight on a single platform. In Q4 especially, it takes a total video strategy to keep up with where viewers really are.
What Advertisers Can Learn From Q4
Diray Media has spent decades watching these cycles, and the same truths prove themselves every year:
- Q4 is when viewers are most engaged. Football sets the routine, and premieres and holiday content keep the screens lit up.
- Cultural moments drive deeper impact. It is not just about impressions. It is about joining the conversations happening in living rooms and online.
- Linear plus streaming beats linear versus streaming. The synergy creates stronger reach, better frequency, and campaigns that actually stick.
- Holiday timing makes campaigns work harder. Audiences are not just watching more, they are shopping more. Advertising here moves people from awareness to purchase faster than any other time of year.
The Bottom Line
From touchdowns to season premieres to holiday classics, Q4 is when America is most tuned in. It is the season of screens, and for advertisers, it is the season of opportunity.
At Diray Media, we help brands harness this surge by building strategies that work across both linear and streaming. We know how to place campaigns where audiences are watching most, when attention is highest, and when the timing matters most.