Data: US TV streaming hits all-time high
July 19, 2023
According to Nielsen’s June 2023 report of The Gauge, the media measurement company’s monthly snapshot of total broadcast, cable and streaming consumption that occurs via television, streaming accounted for 37.7 per cent of overall TV usage in the US in June, a record high share total for the digital format. By comparison, cable content viewing made up 30.6 per cent of TV usage and broadcast content viewing made up 20.8 per cent.
Overall TV usage in June was up on a monthly basis for the first time since January (+2.2 per cent vs. May), an uptick that was mainly attributed to the increased availability of younger viewers. Specifically, TV usage among the 2-11 and 12-17 age groups was up 16.3 per cent and 24.1 per cent, respectively, compared with May, with non-traditional TV options (i.e., streaming, video gaming) accounting for 90 per cent of the increases across both groups.
Time spent streaming (via a television) increased 5.8 per cent in June versus May, and viewers from the aforementioned 2-17 age group contributed to over half of that growth. Additionally, with 37.7 per cent of overall TV usage, the streaming category represented the largest share of television to be reported in The Gauge since July 2021 when cable accounted for the same amount. The cable category holds the record for largest share of TV reported in The Gauge, with 40.1 per cent reported in June 2021.
Paramount+ captured 1.0 per cent of overall TV viewing in June and is the 11th streaming service to be independently reported in The Gauge. Viewing to Paramount+ was boosted by its original series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which generated nearly 1 billion viewing minutes.
More within the streaming category in June:
- YouTube and Netflix each achieved their largest shares to date, representing 8.2 per cent and 8.8 per cent of TV, respectively.
- The action-drama series S.W.A.T., which streams on Hulu, Netflix and Paramount+, was the most-watched streaming programme in June, with nearly 5 billion minutes viewed across the three platforms.
- Tubi TV usage increased 12.1 per cent and brought its share to 1.4 per cent of TV to remain the leading FAST service in The Gauge.
- Disney+ benefited from the growth in younger audiences, as usage jumped 11.9 per cent to account for 2.0 per cent of TV.
- With a 16.5 per cent monthly increase in usage, Max captured 1.4 per cent of TV (+0.2 pts.).
Broadcast content viewership fell 6.6 per cent in June and the category gave up 2.0 share points to finish the month at 20.8 per cent of television, its smallest share of TV to date. While cable usage increased slightly in June (+0.4 per cent vs. May) on the strength of feature films (+10 per cent) and news (+6.6 per cent), the category lost 0.6 share points due to the increase in streaming and total TV usage. However, NBA-related programming was positive for both cable and broadcast formats, as the Conference Finals represented the month’s top programmes on cable, and the NBA Finals helped drive a 31.7 per cent increase in sports viewing on broadcast.
On a year-over-year basis, broadcast viewing was down 5.6 per cent (-1.6 pts.), and cable viewing was down 11.6 per cent (-4.6 pts.).