While all the OTT platforms are competing among themselves for dominance, YouTube is playing in a league of its own as the first streaming service to reach double digits in Nielsen’s Gauge report.
In June, just as the summer vacation was about to start, YouTube hit 9.9%. However, by July, the platform saw a 7% increase in viewership, reaching 10.4% of all television usage, which is absolutely bonkers.
In July, streaming platforms dominated TV viewing, capturing a record 41.4% of the market, up from the previous month’s high. Overall, TV usage saw a 2.3% monthly and 3.5% annual growth, partly driven by the start of the Paris Olympics. The month set a new benchmark, with 10 titles surpassing 1 billion viewing minutes and claiming four of the top 10 most-streamed days ever.
Peacock’s Olympic coverage propelled its share to 1.5%, a 33% increase, marking its second-best performance. Amazon’s Prime Video and The Roku Channel also saw double-digit monthly gains, with Prime Video up 12% to 3.4% of TV viewing and The Roku Channel up 10% to 1.6%, both achieving platform highs.
“House of the Dragon” led streaming content with 4.7 billion minutes, contributing to Max’s 4% growth. Disney+ and Prime Video followed closely with “Bluey” and “The Boys,” respectively.
Broadcast TV rose to 20.3%, driven by Olympic coverage, which lifted the weekly average to over 22%. In contrast, cable viewing remained flat, losing share due to the overall increase in TV usage, finishing with 26.7%. This shift underscores the growing dominance of streaming services in the TV landscape.
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