Showing the strength of streaming beyond live events, Max received an 18% monthly viewing increase in December, the largest across all streaming platforms. Those upticks were driven by its library of shows such as The Big Bang Theory, Friends, and Dune: Prophecy.
Broadcast and cable largely relied on football in December, with each seeing increases in sports viewership of 17% and 29%, respectively, due to the NFL, college bowl games, and the first round of college football playoffs. Cable also received an 18% bump in feature film viewing.
However, both broadcast and cable had to also contend with seasonal-related declines. Broadcast networks withdrew from scripted dramas during the holiday season, which resulted in an 18% dip in that genre, and cable news, after the presidential election cycle, dropped by 27%, according to the report.
Overall, broadcast and cable viewing accounted for 22.4% and 23.8% of December TV watch time, respectively, and 46.2% of TV viewing combined.