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Pop CultureYouTubeJun 17, 2025

Streaming Is Officially the Top Way We Watch TV

YouTube came out as the number-one streamer, taking 12.5 percent of the streaming viewership pie in May.

By Precious Fondren
Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images

For the first time in history, streaming is king in the TV world. 

According to a new monthly report by Nielsen, streaming beat the combined total of broadcast and cable TV viewing for the first time ever in May. Streamers including YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+ account for 44.8 percent of TV viewing, compared to the 24.1 percent that happens via cable TV and 20.1 percent via broadcast

Nielsen started tracking the monthly TV trends with their The Gauge report in 2021. Nielsen says that, since that time, streaming TV has seen an increase in usage of about 71 percent. 

“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,” Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao said in a statement.

Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images

YouTube came out as the top streamer, taking 12.5 percent of the viewership pie. Netflix grabbed 7.5 percent, while Disney+ took five percent. None of this, however, should come as a surprise.

“They already have the crown,” one executive said about YouTube to Vulture.  “Most networks have essentially thrown up their hands in response.”

Netflix, the report says, saw a 27 percent climb in viewership and had the biggest day in streaming history via two exclusive NFL games it live streamed on Christmas Day 2024. 

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