Streaming has overtaken linear TV in the U.S.—a historic first as more TV content was consumed via streaming than the linear segments of broadcast and cable combined for the month of May.
The milestone represents the fourth consecutive month of growth for that particular TV viewing segment. After enjoying back-to-back months of consecutive growth, the broadcast and cable viewing segments recorded drops in TV consumption. Cable, especially, is feeling the pain, as this is the first decrease it has experienced in three months.
According to Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge, streaming grew by +0.5% from April to command 44.8% of TV usage in May. In the four years since Nielsen first began tracking TV consumption, streaming has grown to become the preferred TV viewing format over linear, with a +71% increase during that time.
The same cannot be said for the broadcast and cable viewing formats, as they have seen declines of -21% and -39%, respectively, since May 2021. The rise in cord-cutting could be seen as the primary reason for cable’s steep decline as a preferred viewing format over the four years of Nielsen recording TV consumption.
Looking at the month-to-month performances of the linear segments, broadcast saw a -0.7% drop from the previous month to stand at 20.1%. The end of the 2024-2025 broadcast season, coupled with the Memorial Day holiday weekend, could have been the primary reason for the dip in viewership. Meanwhile, even with the presence of the NBA and NHL playoffs and the opening rounds of the French Open, cable recorded a -0.3% drop to finish at 24.1% for the month of May.
When combined, the linear segment of broadcast and cable ceded its top position for the first time ever to streaming, as they had a combined showing of 44.2% to streaming’s 44.8% for the month of May. The linear segment experienced a -1.1% decline in viewership between April and May, a significant erosion paving the way for streaming to ascend to the top.
The Other category finished at 10.9% in May, a +0.6% improvement from April, and a possible landing spot for viewers who fled the linear channels.
Within the streaming category, YouTube continued its dominant position, accounting for 12.5% of all viewing. It improved by +0.1% from its April performance of 12.4%.
Netflix followed next with 7.5% of all total streaming consumption in May, remaining flat from the previous month. After Netflix, the next most popular services were Disney+ with 5% and Prime Video with 3.5%. These two streaming services remained flat compared to the previous month.
The Roku Channel’s 2.5% leaped over Paramount’s 2.2% to take fifth and sixth place, respectively. The Roku Channel was up +0.1% from the previous month, while Paramount was down by -0.2%. Tubi finished the month at 2.2% (up +0.2%), and Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service of Max and Discovery+ remained at 1.5%. NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, also remained flat with 1.4%.
See the media distribution ranking below: