Aug 17, 2023

Linear TV viewing falls below 50% of U.S. TV viewing for the first time in July

According to Nielsen data, July marked the first time in a single month that linear viewing as a percentage of U.S. TV viewing fell below 50%.

At the same time, streaming services, which include Youtube, Netflix, Hulu, and others, saw a record high TV usage rate of 38.7%. According to Nielsen's index, streaming is the largest discrete category, dividing TV usage into streaming, broadcast TV, cable TV, and other, the latter including unmeasured VOD, audio streaming, video games, and physical media such as Blu-ray and DVD.

Animation proved to be a major contributor to the impressive performance of the streaming segment, with "Bluey" the second most-watched series in July. According to Nielsen, the Australian series was watched for approximately 5 billion minutes during the month.

Cocomelon was another strong contributor, ranking in Nielsen's top 10 for streaming content throughout the month. Animated films also ranked heavily in Nielsen's top 10 for July, including Puss in Boots, The Last Wish, Nimona: The Last Wish, Nimona, Moana, Encanto, Captain Underpants: The First Epic", and "Boss Baby".

It is safe to say that traditional linear TV viewing continues to decline, but could increase significantly in the coming months as new seasons of popular series begin in the fall and major sports leagues like the NFL and NBA kick off.