US Television Viewership Drops Below 50%, Streaming Remains Favorable Option

The U.S. TV viewership reached an all-time low last July 2023 as it dropped below 50 percent, reported by Nielsen.

Linear TV Viewing Declines

According to Nielsen's July 2023 report of The Gauge, this is the first time that the linear TV viewership reached below 50 percent. For instance, broadcast shares fell at 20 percent while cable share got 29.6 percent. In total, TV usage for linear television is only at 49.6%.

Dramas are still the most watched genre in broadcast while ABC "World New Tonight" and "MLB All-Star Game" on Fox are listed as the top broadcast programs for the month. This report only showed that there are still people who anticipate the daily programmed shows on the TV.

For cable, ESPN's "Home Run Derby" and "College World Series" are hailed as the top two cable programs. In addition, The Hallmark Channel's "When Calls The Heart" joins the list.

Streaming Platforms Win Viewership

On the other hand, streaming services are responsible for the majority of overall TV usage with 37.8 percent. The category also grew by 7.3 share points on its yearly streaming viewership.

YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, topped the list of most streamed sites for July. YouTube recorded a 5.6 percent increase, Netflix with 4.2 percent, and Amazon Prime Video with 3.4 percent.

Netflix and Peacock show "Suits" is now the most-streamed series along with Disney+ "Bluey." Both series are accounted for over 23 billion viewing minutes for July.