Ah, streaming – something many of us love to do, right? And it’s easy to see why! You have tons of options to choose from, and you don’t have to check the TV guide to find out when your show starts. And the best part is that there are usually no ads (at least most of the time). It turns out we’re streaming more than ever, and a new report proves it.
Streaming now accounts for 41.4% of all television usage
Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement and analytics, reports that streaming accounted for 41.4% of all TV viewing in July. That’s the highest share of all viewing in the report’s history, surpassing both broadcast and cable TV. This new record came right after streaming’s previous peak in June. In addition, YouTube alone accounted for 10% of total monthly TV viewing, marking the first time a single streaming service has reached double digits. Other streaming platforms also reached their own milestones in July: Disney+ climbed to a 2.1% audience share and The Roku Channel reached 1.6%.
Streaming numbers in July were more than 5% higher than in June. | Image credit – Nielsen
July’s record-breaking streaming numbers make a number of things clear. For example, the report only shows what people watch on TV screens – it doesn’t count views from mobile devices or laptops. These results show how much streaming has outgrown phones and tablets, rivaling and even surpassing traditional broadcast and cable TV.
Speaking of cable TV, ratings in July remained pretty much the same as June, but as general TV usage increased, cable TV lost half a point of market share, ending the month at 26.7%. On the other hand, the news genre saw a big boost – up 23% from June and 52% from July 2023. Of the top 25 cable shows in July, Fox News Channel grabbed 24 spots.
