Streaming made TV history in July 2024

Streaming made TV history in July 2024, accounting for 41.4% of TV viewing, the highest ever in Nielsen’s The Gauge. The Summer Olympics boosted broadcast and streaming, with Peacock up 33%. YouTube became the first streaming platform to exceed 10% of TV usage. Cable viewing remained steady but lost share due to overall TV usage increase. Top streaming programs included House of the Dragon, Bluey, and The Boys.

Streaming Hits Record 41.4% of TV Viewing in July, YouTube Breaks 10% for First Time
In July 2024, streaming achieved a historic milestone by accounting for 41.4% of TV viewing, the highest share for any viewing format in Nielsen’s The Gauge™ history. This marked a 5% increase from June, leading to a 1.1-point growth in streaming’s share of TV. The Summer Olympics in Paris, despite only three days of coverage in July, significantly boosted TV viewing, with total TV usage up 2.3% from June and 3.5% from July 2023. Broadcast viewing increased to 20.3% of TV, a 5% rise from the previous year, driven by the Olympics, which dominated the top broadcast telecasts.

Key Highlights

YouTube: Became the first streaming platform to exceed 10% of total TV usage, reaching 10.4% in July, up 7% from June.

Peacock: Boosted by the Olympics and “Love Island USA,” saw a 33% increase in usage, reaching 1.5% of TV.

Amazon Prime Video: Increased by 12% from June, achieving 3.4% of TV.

The Roku Channel: Grew by 10%, reaching 1.6% of TV.

Top Streaming Programs

House of the Dragon on Max: 4.7 billion viewing minutes.
Bluey on Disney+: 4.3 billion viewing minutes, with Disney+ usage up 9.2% to 2.1% of TV.
The Boys on Prime Video: 4.2 billion viewing minutes.

Cable Viewing

Cable viewing remained stable compared to June but lost half a share point due to the overall increase in TV usage, ending at 26.7% of TV. Cable news saw a significant rise, driven by the Republican National Convention and coverage of the assassination attempt on former President Trump, with a 23% increase from June and 52% from July 2023. Fox News Channel dominated the top 25 cable telecasts.

Additional Insights

July 2024 included four weeks of measurement (07/01/2024 through 07/28/2024).
Each week in July led to the top four most streamed weeks ever reported by Nielsen.
For the first time, 10 titles exceeded 1 billion viewing minutes in Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10.

This summary highlights the significant trends and shifts in TV viewing habits, emphasizing the growing dominance of streaming platforms, particularly YouTube, and the impact of major events like the Summer Olympics on broadcast and streaming viewership.”