Streaming services surpass cable and broadcast TV in viewership for the first time, capturing 45% of all TV usage.
Since May 2021, streaming viewership has increased by 71%, while broadcast and cable have declined by 21% and 39%, respectively.
Free, ad-supported TV services like Tubi and Pluto TV now hold a larger share of TV time than any individual broadcast network.
Nielsen notes that live sports and news keep linear TV temporarily resilient, but the overall trend favors streaming.
For the first time, Americans are spending more time watching streaming services than broadcast and cable television combined, a historic tipping point for media consumption detailed in Nielsenās May 2025 āThe Gaugeā report. Streaming captured a 44.8% share of all TV usage, narrowly eclipsing the 44.2% held by traditional linear TV.
A four-year landslide: The milestone isnāt a sudden blip but the result of a massive, long-term trend. Since May 2021, streaming usage has exploded by 71%, while viewership for broadcast has cratered by 21% and cable has plummeted by 39%, fundamentally reshaping the industry.
Free TV’s big win: While YouTube continues to reign as the single largest platform (12.5% of all viewing), the real story is the rise of free, ad-supported TV. FAST services like Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV collectively grabbed nearly 6% of all TV time, a larger share than any individual broadcast network, with Tubi alone recently blowing past 100 million active users.
The empire strikes back: But before we write linear TVās obituary, Nielsen offers a reality check. “While many expected this milestone to occur sooner, sporting events, news and new-season content have kept broadcasting and cable surprisingly resilient,ā said Nielsenās Brian Fuhrer, in comments reported by PYMNTS. The balance is expected to tilt back toward linear, at least temporarily, once the fall TV season and the NFL juggernaut return.
The writing on the wall: While live sports and news give linear TV moments of strength, the overall trajectory is clear. The future of television is being streamed. The shift to streaming comes as some traditional networks are still proving their pull, with Fox News scoring huge ratings for a live political event. Meanwhile, streaming king Netflix continues to illustrate the impermanence of licensed content by shedding popular library titles.
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