Streaming Has Risen to a 36.4% Share of Total TV Viewing

2 Min Read

Nielsen’s most recent ‘The Gauge’ report confirms that streaming is back on its climb in share of TV viewing time. After a slight dip in April, streaming made a comeback, rising to represent 36.4% of total TV viewing in May. While this rebound was partially fueled by a methodology change by Nielsen that better accounted for streaming usage, the other half of the 2.5% increase came from evolving viewer preferences. Notably, free ad-supported television (FAST) services like Pluto TV, Tubi TV, and the Roku Channel collectively matched the viewership levels of popular platforms such as Peacock and HBO Max, surpassing even Amazon Prime Video.

People aren’t just streaming more—they’re also watching less broadcast and cable. That’s why, despite the streaming surge, overall TV time was down by about 4.4% in May. Broadcast was down by 5.5%, due in part to a significant drop in sports viewership, while cable saw a 5.4% decline. This is despite cable’s slight boost in viewership for a while that was driven by extensive coverage of the NBA Finals on ESPN and TNT. 

Of course, this downward trend is nothing new. Viewers only have so many hours in a day, and the more they turn to streaming services, the more traditional TV will see the effects on their viewership.

Connected TV in the News

Despite Smart TV’s Dominance, Most Connected TV Viewing Is on Streaming Devices
TV Tech
The internet’s takeover of the American TV set is nearly complete. Research shows that almost nine out of ten U.S. households now own at least one Connected TV set.

Where Are They Now? A Check-In on Ad-Supported Offerings
MNTN Research
If 2022 was the year that all the major streaming services joined the ranks of the ad-supported, 2023 is shaping up to be the year we see the effects of those moves.

Connected Devices Become More Shoppable While Apple Muscles In on Ad Revenues
Insider Intelligence
Retail media partnerships are driving shoppable CTV as brands narrow the gap between awareness and purchase.

Get the Latest Connected TV News, Right to Your Inbox

Want to get our Connected TV report sent directly your way? Share your email below and you’ll never be out of the CTV/OTT loop again.

Sign Up for the Connected TV Report

Subscribe to the report Apple, Amazon, NBC and more use to get their CTV news.