NEW YORK—New viewing records were set in July of 2023 with streaming accounting for a record high 38.7% of total TV usage that month while linear TV viewership fell below 50% for the first time, according to Nielsen's July 2023 report of The Gauge.
During July the share of broadcast and cable viewing also set new lows, with broadcast falling to a record low share of 20.0% and cable falling to 29.6% of total TV usage, respectively. They combined for a linear television record low of 49.6%.
Nielsen also reported that from July 2022 to July 2023, time spent streaming via television increased more than 25%.
Time spent streaming (via a television) increased 2.9% in July compared with June, and the category gained a full share point to finish at 38.7% of total TV usage—topping its previous record-high share, which it recorded just last month. On a yearly basis, streaming viewership has grown 25.3%, and the category has gained 7.3 share points.
Across streaming platforms, three achieved record high shares of TV in July:
- YouTube (not including YouTube TV) viewing increased 5.6% vs. June, and its share climbed to 9.2% of total TV usage (the largest of all platforms).
- Netflix viewing increased 4.2% vs. June, which brought it to 8.5% of total TV usage.
- Amazon Prime Video viewing was up 5% vs. June to represent 3.4% of total TV usage (+0.2 pts.) in July.
In terms of streaming content, the premiere of new seasons of streaming originals across various platforms in July could not match the momentum of acquired content viewing. "Suits" (Netflix, Peacock) and "Bluey" (Disney+) were July's most-watched streaming programs, combining for 23 billion viewing minutes, with "Suits" accounting for nearly 18 billion on its own. By comparison, the Netflix original "Stranger Things" also captured nearly 18 billion viewing minutes in July 2022 following the conclusion of its most recent season.
Broadcast viewership fell 3.6% in July to finish the month at 20.0% of overall television usage (-0.8 pts.), marking a new low for the broadcast category, Nielsen said.
While dramas remained the top broadcast genre in July at 25.7% of the category, the top broadcast programs were ABC World News Tonight and the MLB All Star Game on FOX.
Cable viewing was down 2.9% in July and its share also fell to a record low, finishing the month with 29.6% of overall TV usage (-1.0 pts.). ESPN's Home Run Derby and College World Series were the top two cable programs in July, followed by "When Calls The Heart" on The Hallmark Channel.
On a year-over-year basis, broadcast viewing was down 5.4% (-1.5 share points), and cable viewing was down 12.5% (-4.8 share points.).
