In February, more people watched streamers for news, sports, and entertainment than in any month since last summer, as reported by a new study.
Nielsen’s monthly report, “The Gauge” report revealed that streaming platforms captured 37 percent of all TV viewership, compared to 27 percent for cable and 23 percent for broadcast.
Streamers were able to secure the largest share of audience, accounting for 37 percent, which is the highest since August 2023, according to Nielsen. This was 3.4 share points higher than in February of last year.
The recent Super Bowl was the most-viewed event across both broadcast and streaming, with an estimated 30 billion viewing minutes across all platforms, 5 billion more than last year’s game, according to Nielsen.
The study found that news viewing on cable increased by 7 percent due to audience interest in election year coverage.
Among major streamers, YouTube led in audience share in February, capturing 9.3 percent of total viewership, surpassing Netflix at 7.8 percent, while Hulu and Prime each held just under 3 percent.
Nielsen’s study provides insight into the changing viewing habits as Americans shift away from traditional TV toward streaming options for news, sports, and entertainment. Many of the largest legacy media companies are investing heavily in streaming services and exploring direct-to-consumer models as a response to declines in linear viewership.
