As Father’s Day approaches, Nielsen analysts have released data shedding light on so-called "Dad Television" — content favored by men aged 25-49 raising young children in the U.S. The top shows reveal a familiar archetype: the dad unwinding after a long day.
Leading the pack are National Basketball Association (NBA) games, racking up over 2.2 million minutes of viewing time. Notably, the metric regrettably omits any tally of beer consumed during these sessions — a glaring oversight, in our opinion.
But American dads aren’t just about sports. The Australian animated series Bluey ranks fourth, likely enjoyed with kids in tow, followed by Andor, The Last of Us, and Netflix’s new release Four Seasons, a remake of the 1984 comedy.
Stereotypical "dad content" then kicks in with American Dad!, Family Guy, millennial sitcoms like Friends and The Big Bang Theory, and police procedurals like Law & Order.
Due to the limited May 2025 timeframe of Nielsen’s study, male-centric shows like Yellowstone and History Channel’s alien documentaries missed the cut, but the pattern is clear: sports, kids’ cartoons, nostalgic hits, and a dash of cop dramas.
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Interestingly, this broad viewer demographic isn’t heavily reliant on Netflix, favoring cable TV (TNT, ESPN) or premium streamers like Hulu and HBO Max. This explains Disney’s push into ESPN and Hulu, complementing Disney+ for kids with adult-focused content once bedtime rolls around.
