Streaming outperforms cable and broadcast TV combined for first time

Streaming has outperformed both cable and broadcasting combined for the first time ever, according to new results released by Nielsen for the month of May.

Streaming outpaced the total viewership of both cable and broadcasting by representing 44.8% of TV viewership, according to Nielsen’s monthly report “The Gauge.”

Meanwhile, cable represented 24.1% and broadcasting represented 20.1% of total TV viewership.

While this was the first time that streaming has eclipsed the total viewership of how people watch TV, according to Nielsen, this trend has been coming since the release of “The Gauge” back in May 2021.

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Streaming has outperformed both cable and broadcasting combined for the first time ever, according to new results released by Nielsen for the month of May.Streaming outpaced the total viewership of both cable and broadcasting by representing 44.8% of (Comcast)

Over the four-year span, the trends have shown that viewership for streaming has increased by a total of 71%.

In comparison, broadcasting has dropped by a total of 21% and cable dropped by a total of 39%.

Karthik Rao, Nielsen CEO, discussed the results in a news release by Nielsen.

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Netflix has led the way for all streaming services as the top streaming video on-demand platform. Netflix’s success of making licensed content bigger has a term coined the “Netflix Effect” by Nielsen. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“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,” Rao said in the release. “It’s also a credit to media companies, who have deftly adapted their programming strategies to meet their viewers where they are watching TV – whether it’s on streaming or linear platforms.”

While the original platforms reported only consisted of Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Prime Video and Disney+, it has now expanded to 11 platforms in May.

Among all the milestones the streaming platforms have achieved over this span, Netflix continues to lead the charge as the top streaming video on-demand provider for four years straight, according to Nielsen.

Nielsen has even coined a term for the success of licensed content, becoming an even bigger hit after it aired on the streaming giant, called the “Netflix Effect.”

In this photo illustration, a woman and a dog watch a video by chef and YouTuber Caroline Artiss on her YouTube page, July 2, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Self-described YouTuber Caroline Artiss has been a chef for 20 years, but opted out of rest (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

One show in particular called “You,” which originally aired on Lifetime before moving to Netflix, amassed four billion minutes, and was Nielsen’s first example of the “Netflix Effect” dating back to 2018.

Free services like YouTube continue to rise in popularity, with YouTube having a 120% viewership increase since 2021.

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While platforms continue to grow and have success in the streaming landscape, Nielsen notes that simulcasts are another avenue that platforms have seen success with, citing Super Bowl LIX as one example, which aired on both FOX and Tubi.

Nielsen is predicting that this trend will continue through the summer until a new broadcast season with football returns in fall.

Nick Butler is a reporter for Fox Business. Do you have any tips? Reach out to Nick.Butler@Fox.com.