Streaming Takes Dominant Share of TV Viewing in November

Streaming took the spotlight in November, making up a whopping 41.6% of all TV viewing, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge report. This surge in streaming popularity coincided with a 5% increase in overall TV viewing levels compared to October, marking the highest monthly viewing total since February. The rise was fueled by a variety of factors, including sports events, the presidential election, and live streaming. Notably, this increase occurred even without the typical boost in TV viewing during the Thanksgiving holiday, which will be reflected in December’s report instead.

Broadcast TV also saw a boost in November, accounting for 23.7% of viewing time, with a 3% increase from the previous month. Sporting events like the World Series and NFL games contributed to this growth, with the final three World Series games alone totaling over 10 billion viewing minutes and drawing significant viewer numbers.

As expected, the presidential election coverage played a significant role in driving viewership, especially for cable TV. Cable TV’s share of viewing hit 26.5% during the election week, contributing to cable’s overall share of 25% for the month. The increase in cable news viewing minutes from 36 billion to 48 billion between the first two weeks of November also played a significant part in boosting cable’s share.

Streaming services enjoyed a 7.6% increase in viewership during November, with an all-time high share of 41.6% of TV viewing. Factors such as an election-heavy news cycle on traditional TV networks drove viewers towards streaming platforms, pushing the category’s share even higher to 42.6% in the third week of November. Netflix, in particular, saw a peak in viewership during week three, driven by the livestreamed Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match and the popular original series “The Lincoln Lawyer.”

Notably, three streaming services set platform-best records in November: The Roku Channel (1.9% share of TV viewing), Prime Video (3.7% share), and YouTube (10.8% share). Additionally, Peacock experienced a significant monthly increase in viewership, reaching 1.5% of TV viewing share, driven by content like “Despicable Me 4.” While short of its Olympics-driven record, Peacock’s increase marked a substantial growth in kids’ viewing on the platform.

Overall, November was a month of milestones for streaming entertainment, with viewers flocking to online platforms for diverse and engaging content.