The latest issue of The Gauge from Nielsen reveals that streaming has reached a new milestone, accounting for 41.4 percent of all TV viewing in July. This marks the highest share of TV viewing for any category in the report’s history, surpassing previous records set by both broadcast and cable TV.
YouTube was another big winner in July, with the platform hosting 10 percent of monthly TV usage. This is the first time a single streaming service has reached a double-digit share, highlighting the platform’s growing influence in the streaming landscape.
Other streaming services also saw significant gains in July. Disney+ jumped to a 2.1 percent viewing share, while The Roku Channel reached 1.6 percent. These record-setting performances demonstrate the continued expansion of streaming video beyond mobile and laptop viewing, with TV screens becoming an increasingly important platform for streaming services.
Nielsen’s report also highlights the diversity of streaming content, with 10 different titles surpassing 1 billion minutes of viewing in the first full week of July. This is a record for the number of titles to reach this milestone, and it underscores the fact that streaming platforms are capable of producing a wide range of popular content.
The top five most-watched titles in the first week of July were led by Netflix’s action movie Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, which secured 2.05 billion minutes of viewership. TV series Suits, available on Peacock and Netflix, came in second with nearly 1.5 billion minutes viewed. House of the Dragon on Max, Your Honor on Netflix/Paramount+, and The Bear on Hulu rounded out the top five, each with over 1.2 billion minutes viewed. These results suggest that the next big hit in streaming could come from any platform, and that audiences are eager to engage with a wide range of content.
