History is made as streaming surpasses broadcast, cable TV viewing
History is made as streaming surpasses broadcast, cable TV viewing
According to Nielsen, streaming achieved a huge milestone in May, accounting for more TV watched than linear TV.
Streaming executives from company to company likely don’t have a ton of time to celebrate today, but they should take five minutes out of their Tuesday to congratulate each other. According to Nielsen, streaming services combined to account for more total TV viewing time than broadcast and cable combined for the first time in May 2025.
Key Details:
- Streaming success: Streaming represented 44.8% of all TV watched, versus 44.2% for TV.
- Sustained surge: Since 2021, streaming usage has increased 71%.
- Spread the wealth: A total of 11 streamers now account for at least 1% of all TV watched.
According to Nielsen’s data, streaming services represented 44.8% of all TV watched in May 2025. Cable was 24.1%, with broadcast coming in at 20.1%, combining for a total of 44.2%. It’s the first time since Nielsen’s The Gauge report launched in May 2021 that streaming has beaten broadcast and cable’s numbers put together.
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Since Nielsen first rolled out The Gauge, streaming usage has increased by 71%. Netflix has been the top subscription streamer on Nielsen’s listings ever since, and its viewership has grown by 27% since 2021. YouTube might be the biggest winner of them all; however, in the past four years, its viewership has grown by over 120%. YouTube accounted for 12.5% of all TV watched in May, the fourth month in a row it has grown its share. Disney+ and Hulu combined to make up the third-largest viewership share of any streamers last month, garnering 5% of all TV viewed.
“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,” Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao said. “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.
A rising tide for streaming is lifting all boats. Exceeding a full share point of TV usage is considered an impressive achievement for streaming services, and now 11 platforms share that distinction — including free, ad-supported services like The Roku Channel and Tubi.
It’s fair to point out that broadcast and cable will likely make a surge past streaming once again in the fall, when football season begins again. Nevertheless, streaming has continued to assert its dominance amongst TV viewers, and its share of viewership is now at a record high.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”