The summer of streaming is officially in full swing. According to Nielsen’s June 2024 report of The Gauge™, streaming platforms dominated television viewership in June, capturing a record-breaking 40.3% of total TV usage.
Leading the charge were Disney+ (+14.8%), Tubi (+14.7%), Netflix (+11.8%) and Max (+11.0%). These platforms also saw a significant portion of their viewership increase driven by the younger demographic (ages 2-17). YouTube and Tubi reached new heights with 9.9% and 2.0% of total TV usage, respectively.
The surge in streaming can be attributed in part to the start of summer break for most kids and teens. With more free time on their hands, younger viewers significantly boosted their TV consumption, driving a 2.1% increase in overall TV usage compared to May.
Streaming dominance and top content
Looking at individual streaming platforms, YouTube set another record with a best ever 9.9% share of overall TV. Netflix emerged also as a standout performer, gaining nearly a full share point to reach 8.4% of total TV usage thanks to this month’s top two streaming titles: Its original series Bridgerton led the way with 9.3 billion viewing minutes, and Your Honor, Bryan Cranston’s Showtime and Paramount+ import, had the second highest total with 7.5 billion minutes across Netflix and Paramount+. Other notable streaming successes included Prime Video’s “The Boys,” whose new season helped drive 4 billion viewing minutes, and HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” which totaled 3.4 billion minutes on the streamer, per Nielsen.
Broadcast and cable: A tale of two cities
While streaming thrived, legacy, linear TV platforms lost ground versus May -broadcast was down 8% (to a 20.5% share) and cable, off 4% (to 27.2%). Broadcast TV did see benefit from sports events like the NBA Finals and the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. As for cable news networks, the CNN Presidential Debate proved to be a ratings powerhouse, occupying the top two spots in cable viewership, with CNN leading the pack with over 10 million viewers, followed by Fox News Channel with 9.5 million… while viewing in the cable sports genre declined 35% as both the NBA and NHL concluded their seasons with broadcast televised events.
Summer Olympics: the wildcard
As we enter July and August, the television landscape will be shaped by the Summer Olympics, a major event historically known to attract large audiences across both broadcast and cable networks, says Nielsen. The coming months will reveal how streaming platforms and traditional television fare in the face of this global sporting spectacle.
