Streaming surpasses linear TV viewership for first time ever, per Nielsen

Streaming now takes up a bigger slice of Nielsen’s monthly pie chart than broadcast and cable viewing combined, according to new data released by the audience measurement company for May.

For four years, Nielsen has tracked the share of television usage by platform across the country, releasing its monthly findings in a pie chart called “The Gauge.” And for the first time since its debut, The Gauge shows streaming viewership has surpassed the two components traditionally referred to as linear TV, broadcast and cable.

Per Nielsen’s data from the month of May, 44.8% of television usage was spent on streaming platforms ranging from Netflix to Peacock to Tubi and many others, while 44.2% of television usage was spent on linear TV. Broadcast clocked in at 20.1% with cable at 24.1%.

“It’s fitting that this inflection point coincides with the four year anniversary of Nielsen’s The Gauge, which has become the gold standard for streaming TV measurement,” Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao said in a statement. “It’s also a credit to media companies, who have deftly adapted their programming strategies to meet their viewers where they are watching TV – whether it’s on streaming or linear platforms.”

The feat is impressive, especially during the month of May when the NBA and NHL postseasons are in full swing on broadcast and cable networks. It should be noted, for live events, even if a viewer watches the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the Max streaming service, for instance, it would be counted as a cable viewer since the game is airing on TNT. Streaming, by The Gauge’s standards, means some form of video-on-demand.

Since launching four years ago, streaming viewership has seen a 71% increase while broadcast and cable have declined by 21% and 39% respectively, per Nielsen. YouTube (not YouTube TV) remains the dominant force in streaming on television sets, earning 12.5% of all TV viewing in May. Netflix is the second most-watched streamer, earning 7.5% of TV viewing last month.

The data supports decisions by sports leagues to emphasize accessibility on streaming platforms in recent media rights deals. However, if The Gauge shows anything, it’s that viewership on television remains incredibly fragmented, making it increasingly difficult for leagues to figure out how to reach more fans while not leaving others behind.

No doubt, this trend will continue over the next several years. What leagues will be looking at is the rate with which streaming increases its share compared to the rate of decline for broadcast and cable. The gap will widen, but how quickly? That will determine how and when leagues decide to dive headfirst into streaming while leaving linear TV in the past.