NEW ERA

Streaming Dethrones Broadcast and Cable TV in Ratings First

New Nielsen ratings show streaming platforms completely eclipse broadcast and cable TV in combined viewership.

The season of streaming is upon us. For the first time in television history, streaming platforms now make up the largest portion of viewership, greater than broadcast and cable television combined. According to Nielsen’s The Gauge poll, which tracks how audiences distribute their viewing time across platforms, streamers made up 44.8 percent of TV use in May 2025, while broadcast and cable made up a combined 44.2 percent. Not only are streaming platforms assuming dominance in our viewing habits, but they’re also growing. Since Nielsen launched The Gauge in 2021, streamers’ proportion of total TV consumption has grown 71 percent. Broadcast and cable, meanwhile, have shrunk a respective 21 and 39 percent. It helps that the number of popular streaming platforms is also expanding. On top of subscription-based streaming giants like Netflix, Max, Hulu, and Prime Video, the rise of free platforms like Pluto, Tubi, and Roku has boosted the medium’s numbers. Still, the analysts at Nielsen say the streamers’ newfound dominance is a summer phenomenon: Expect a major pilgrimage back to broadcast and cable networks when the NFL season starts up again this fall.