A significant shift in TV viewership has occurred, with streaming now surpassing traditional broadcast and cable television for the first time. According to Nielsen data, streaming constituted 44.8% of total TV viewing in May, while broadcast and cable together accounted for 44.2%, split into 20.1% for broadcast and 24.1% for cable. Brian Fuhrer, senior vice president at Nielsen, noted that although many anticipated this milestone sooner, the resilience of broadcast and cable TV has been bolstered by sporting events, news, and new-season content.
Despite Netflix maintaining the highest overall TV usage for four consecutive years, YouTube has recently gained momentum, achieving four straight months of increased TV share. In May, YouTube captured the largest share among streaming platforms at 12.5%. Following YouTube, the top five platforms included Netflix, various Disney-owned services such as ESPN and Hulu, Amazon’s Prime Video, and the Roku Channel.
Additionally, the leading free ad-supported streaming services (FAST channels)—Paramount’s Pluto TV, the Roku Channel, and Fox’s Tubi—together accounted for 5.7% of total TV viewing, surpassing any single broadcast network. Nielsen suggests that while streaming’s dominance over traditional TV may not yet be permanent, the trend indicates that streaming’s share of viewership will continue to grow, potentially locking in this new hierarchy in the near future. This reflects a fundamental change in consumer habits, signifying a new era in television consumption.
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