Despite major events like the presidential election and the World Series drawing viewers to traditional television, streaming continues its relentless rise. Nielsen’s latest “The Gauge” report reveals that streaming services captured a record-breaking 41.6% of total TV usage in November, marking the fourth time in the past seven months that streaming has hit an all-time high.
This growth comes even as overall TV viewing increased by 5% compared to October, reaching a nine-month high. The November viewing period, which ran from October 28th to November 24th, saw significant events across all platforms, but streaming emerged as the clear winner.
As TV overall grows in viewership, the number of people watching cable TV has dropped to just 25% of total TV in November 2024, down from 26.3% of all viewership. In total, streaming accounted for 41% of TV viewing, broadcast was 23.7%, cable TV 25%, and other at 9.7%.
Streaming’s Winning Formula
Several factors contributed to streaming’s continued dominance:
- Original Content: Popular streaming platforms like Netflix drew viewers with original series like “The Lincoln Lawyer” (the most-streamed show of the month with 3.9 billion viewing minutes) and live events like the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match.
- Diversity of Content: Streaming services offer a vast library of movies, TV shows, and live channels, catering to a wide range of interests.
- Flexibility and Convenience: Viewers appreciate the on-demand nature of streaming and the ability to watch content anytime, anywhere.
Cable and Broadcast Lose Ground
While cable news saw a surge in viewership during election week, with 48 billion minutes of viewing across all news channels, its overall monthly growth was limited to just 1%. Cable as a whole saw its share of viewing decline from 26.3% in October to 25% in November.
Broadcast networks, despite benefiting from the World Series and football games, also experienced a slight dip in viewing share, dropping from 24% in October to 23.7% in November.
Streaming Services Reach New Heights
Several individual streaming services achieved record-breaking viewership in November:
- YouTube: Captured 10.8% of all TV usage.
- Prime Video: Reached 3.7% of total TV viewing.
- The Roku Channel: Secured 1.9% of TV viewing.
The Future of Television
Nielsen’s latest report paints a clear picture of the evolving TV landscape. While major events can still draw audiences to traditional television, streaming continues to gain momentum, driven by its diverse content, flexibility, and convenience. As streaming services continue to invest in original programming and expand their offerings, their dominance in the TV viewing landscape is only expected to grow.