TV viewing in the U.S. is settling into more seasonal patterns, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge for March, with the NCAA tournament helping to boost cable viewing while streaming competition intensified as seven different platforms boasted the month’s most-watched titles.
Overall time spent viewing TV slipped 6 percent in March from the previous month, while streaming increased its share to 43.8 percent. Cable hit 24 percent on the strength of March Madness and news. Broadcast received a lift with the Oscars, delivering 20.3 million viewers on ABC and Hulu.
For the first time, the most-watched streamed titles came from seven different platforms: Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Paramount+, Netflix and Apple TV+.
Max saw significant usage gains with the launch of The White Lotus, while YouTube hit a new high at 12 percent of watch time. Netflix ranked second with a 7.9 percent viewing share, with Disney at 5 percent, Prime Video at 3.5 percent and Paramount 2.3 percent. Rounding out the rankings are Roku Channel at 2.2 percent, Tubi at 1.9 percent, Warner Bros. Discovery at 1.5 percent and Peacock at 1.4 percent.
