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Houston’s DMA spans the nation’s fourth-largest metro, reaching more than 4 million residents across 19 counties with a blend of major network stations, Spanish-language broadcasters, and multicultural outlets. Energy, aerospace, healthcare, and port logistics drive business coverage, while the region’s majority-minority population expects bilingual storytelling across broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms.
Graham Media Group (KPRC 2), Disney/ABC (KTRK 13), Tegna (KHOU 11), and FOX Television Stations (KRIV 26/KTXH 20) anchor the market alongside Univision Houston, Telemundo Houston (KTMD), Azteca América (KYAZ), Cox Media Group (KCOH, Country Legends), and Audacy/iHeart radio clusters. Houston Public Media (KUHT/KUHF) provides PBS and NPR services, while community publishers such as Houston Chronicle, Houston Defender, and Houston Landing add depth through print and digital reporting.
Houston’s multicultural population fuels demand for Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Korean, Gujarati, and Urdu content. Univision 45, Telemundo 47, Estrella TV, and Mega TV command significant prime-time share, while VietTV, Saigon Network, TV Asia, and IBN Television serve immigrant communities. International news services, African diaspora outlets, and Houston Public Media’s multi-language initiatives complement English-language programming.
Houston audiences consume media across multiple languages, with Nielsen reporting Spanish-language television at roughly 20% of prime-time share and Vietnamese, Mandarin, Hindi, and Arabic services posting steady gains in southwest and west Harris County. Bilingual households frequently toggle between English and heritage-language programming, complicating measurement and prompting advertisers to invest in multilingual campaigns.
Sports programming drives robust viewership anchored by the Texans (NFL), Astros (MLB), Rockets (NBA), Dynamo/Dash (MLS/NWSL), and University of Houston/Cougar athletics. Space City Home Network, ESPN, and regional podcasts supplement broadcast coverage, while Prime Video’s exclusive Texans games demonstrate the market’s rapid streaming adoption (74% SVOD penetration). Reality, telenovelas, K-dramas, and social video share continue to rise among Gen Z and millennial audiences.
| Indicator | Latest Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DMA population | approximately 4.1 million (2024) | Nielsen DMA Rankings |
| DMA market rank | Rank 7 (Nielsen 2024) | Nielsen DMA Rankings |
| Streaming household penetration | approximately 74% | eMarketer 2024 |
| Hispanic population share | approximately 44% of DMA | U.S. Census Bureau 2023 |
| Local news viewership | approximately 28% of TV households | Nielsen Audio 2024 |
Houston audiences maintain moderate-to-high trust in local newsrooms, turning to KPRC, ABC13, KHOU, FOX26, and Houston Public Media for breaking weather, Gulf Coast storm coverage, and traffic alerts. Spanish-language news services—including Univision 45, Telemundo Houston, and Radio Aleluya—command deep trust among Hispanic households, while digital outlets like Houston Landing and Houston Chronicle newsletters expand trust-building through community engagement.
Sports programming remains a ratings anchor, while telenovelas, K-dramas, Nollywood films, and streaming originals draw diverse households. Reality competitions, lifestyle talk shows, and true-crime series perform strongly among female and multigenerational viewers, and Sunday worship broadcasts sustain high engagement on both English- and Spanish-language outlets.
