Nielsen: U.S. Streaming Time Edges Past Broadcast Viewing

In May, U.S. consumers spent 26 percent of their viewing time on streaming platforms, just ahead of the 25 percent on broadcast but behind the 39 percent spent on cable, according to new numbers from Nielsen.

Nielsen breaks down that 26 percent by platform, with Netflix and YouTube taking a 6 percent share each, Hulu at 3 percent, Amazon Prime at 2 percent and Disney+ at 1 percent, with the remaining 8 percent on the slew of other streamers in the market.

“The past year has categorically shifted the television viewing landscape,” said Brian Fuhrer, senior VP of product strategy at Nielsen. “Even as people begin to dive back into their pre-pandemic activities, based on the changes many made to enable streaming coupled with the variety of newly introduced services, we expect people to keep sampling and exploring their options. Maybe just as importantly, as production ramps back up, new content will enter the space, driving additional traction.”

The Gauge is Nielsen’s new monthly total TV and streaming snapshot.