Streaming grabs record 38.7% of total TV usage in US

SAN FRANCISCO: Modern OTT platforms have won the war against traditional TV as streaming grabbed a record 38.7 per cent of total TV usage in July, with acquired titles outpacing new originals in the US, a new report has revealed.

In aggregate, the heavy viewing levels pushed streaming's share of TV to 38.7 per cent, a new record, with Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube all hitting all-time highs, according to data from Nielsen.

Overall, total broadcast viewing was down 3.6 per cent to finish the month at 20 per cent of TV, representing a new low. On a year-over-year basis, broadcast usage was down 5.4 per cent.

Cable viewing slipped as well, losing a full share point to capture 29.6 per cent of TV in July.

The linear TV now accounts for less than 50 per cent of all TV usage.

"While overall TV usage was up just slightly from June (0.2 per cent), viewing among people under the age of 18 increased 4 per cent, and viewing among adults 18 and older fell 0.3 per cent," the report mentioned.

These trends resulted in increased streaming and "other" usage, which is primarily attributed to video game consoles.

Comparatively, sports on broadcast generated almost 25 billion viewing minutes in July, albeit across a range of channels in the US.

The arrival of fall will likely result in a seasonal shift in TV viewing, especially with the arrival of a new NFL season.

In November 2022, for example, sports accounted for 150 billion viewing minutes on broadcast.

"The potential for less new original primetime content this fall presents a unique situation for broadcast and cable, but the recent success of acquired programming on streaming channels highlights the outsized strength of quality content, regardless of when it was created," said the report.