In a historic first, streaming has surpassed both cable and broadcast television combined in total TV usage in the US, according to media audience measurement firm Nielsen’s latest Gauge report. Streaming accounted for 44.8 per cent of all television viewing, surpassing the combined share of cable (24.1 per cent) and broadcast (20.1 per cent).
It marks a significant shift in how audiences not just in the US, but around the world, consume content. Notably, in Nielsen’s first Gauge report launched in May 2021, streaming made up just 26 per cent of total TV usage. In the four years since, its share has surged by 71 per cent, while cable’s share has declined by 39 per cent, and broadcast has dropped by 21 per cent. The remainder of viewing habits including gaming, physical media, and some on-demand viewing, remain stable, as per the report.
Leading the charge are YouTube and Netflix, which accounted for a combined 20 per cent of all TV use in May this year, nearly matching the total viewership of all broadcast networks. YouTube reached an all-time high of 12.5 per cent viewership, its fourth consecutive monthly record.
Among FAST (free ad-supported TV) platforms, Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV collectively made up 5.7 per cent of TV use. Tubi and Roku together contributed 4.7 per cent while Pluto TV – whose data is included under parent company Paramount’s 2.2 per cent share – is estimated at around one per cent.
The most streamed show of the month was Netflix’s You, which logged four billion minutes of viewing time, signalling the growing dominance of on-demand TV content in viewers’ watching habits.
Nielsen’s total TV and streaming snapshot. (Image: Nielsen)
The data points to a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. “It’s fitting that this inflection point coincides with the four-year anniversary of Nielsen’s The Gauge, which has become the gold standard for streaming TV measurement,” said Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen, in a statement. “It’s also a credit to media companies who have deftly adapted their programming strategies to meet their viewers where they are watching,” Rao added.
With more viewers shifting towards digital platforms, media companies are rethinking content distribution, investing heavily in streaming-first originals and ad-supported platforms that appeal to ‘cord-cutters’, that is, people who cancel their subscriptions to cable or broadcast TV channels in favour of content available online.
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(This article has been curated by Arfan Jeelany, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
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