US Video-Streaming Usage Tops Cable TV for First Time
For the first time ever, video streaming has surpassed cable TV in viewership for the US market, according(Opens in a new window) to market research firm Nielsen.
In July, video streaming claimed a record 34.8% share of total television consumption in the country, narrowly beating the 34.4% share of cable TV. Old-school broadcast TV, meanwhile, grabbed a 21.6% share.
“Streaming usage has surpassed that of broadcast before, but this is the first time it has also exceeded cable viewing,” Nielsen said.
The growth in streaming usage is stark when you look at the numbers on a year-over-year basis. Video streaming grew its market share by 22.6% while both cable and broadcast TV saw their viewership dip by around 9%.
Nielsen added: “Time spent streaming in July averaged nearly 191 billion minutes per week, and each of the five measurement weeks in July 2022 now account for five of the six highest-volume streaming weeks on record according to Nielsen.”
During July, Netflix was the most popular video-streaming service and claimed an 8% share of total viewership hours. Coming in second was YouTube, which achieved a 7.3% share, while Hulu came in third with a 3.6% share.
The Nielsen data is good news for video-streaming providers such as Netflix, which is trying to attract more subscribers amid intense competition and the economic downturn. However, Nielsen notes that total time spent watching TV in July was about the same as the prior month and in July 2021. So streaming providers will likely need to focus on foreign markets to gain greater viewership.
The report(Opens in a new window) from Nielsen also notes that sports TV viewing was down in July, likely due to the end of the NBA and NHL playoffs. As a result, broadcast
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