Thereโs more than enough discussion across the media industry about the massive growth of streaming, but the ongoing fanfare fails to objectively quantify what is truly happening and the full impact that over-the-top content is having on total TV usage. To remedy that, Nielsen publishes The Gauge, its monthly snapshot of total TV and streaming usage, which equalizes measurement of the time audiences spend with their TV sets. After doing this for one year, the effect of streaming consumption is very clear, especially when we consider that the amount of time spent watching TV hasnโt changed.
Compared with mid-2020, when connected TV usage skyrocketed as people stayed home amid COVID-driven shelter-in-place restrictions, total TV usage has returned to seasonal norms, but streaming has taken a much bigger seat at the table. Between May 2021 and May 2022, streaming usage increased more than 21%. That growth allowed streaming to capture an additional 5.6 share points: streaming accounted for nearly 32% of total TV time in May 2022, up from 26% one year ago.
ๆตๅชไฝๆถ่งๆถ้ด็ๅข้ฟๆฏไปฅ็บ็ฒๅ ถไป้ๆฉ๏ผไธป่ฆๆฏๆ็บฟ็ต่ง๏ผไธบไปฃไปท็ใ2022 ๅนด 5 ๆ๏ผๆ็บฟ็ต่งๆถ่ง็ๅๆฏไธ้ไบ 7.1%๏ผไธไธๅนดๅ็ธๆฏๅๅฐไบ 2.8 ไธช็ต่งๆถ้ดไปฝ้ข็นใ็ธๆฏไนไธ๏ผๅนฟๆญๆถ่งไฟๆ็ธๅฏน็จณๅฎ๏ผ็ฑไบๆถ่ง็ไธ้ไบ 3.3%๏ผ่ฟๅปไธๅนด็็ต่งๆถ้ดไปฝ้ขไป ไธ้ไบ 0.8 ไธชไปฝ้ข็น๏ผๅ ไนๅฏไปฅๅฟฝ็ฅไธ่ฎกใ
Beneath the surface of aggregate share change by channel, we can see the impact of streaming in greater detail. We can also see that streaming platforms have taken advantage of the seasonal lull in summertime viewing by introducing new titles when there is less competition for audience attention. For example, the release of season 4 of ๆชไบ racked up more than 5 billion viewing minutes during its opening weekend in the last week of May.
ๅจ 2021 ๅนด 5 ๆ่ณ 2022 ๅนด 5 ๆๆ้ด๏ผThe Gauge ๆๅ็งฐๅๅ็ๅ ญไธชๆตๅชไฝๅนณๅฐ๏ผๅฆ NetflixใHuluใDisney+๏ผไธญ๏ผๆฏไธชๅนณๅฐ็ไฝฟ็จ้้ฝๆไธคไฝๆฐ็ๅข้ฟใ
ๅ ถไปๆถ่ท
- Disney+ ็ไฝฟ็จ็ๅข้ฟไบ 39%๏ผๅธฎๅฉ่ฏฅๅนณๅฐๅจๅ จๅนดๆป็ต่งๆถ้ดไธญ็ไปฝ้ขๆ้ซไบ 0.5 ไธช็พๅ็นใ
- YouTube, which includes YouTube TV, has seen the greatest increase in share, growing by a full point to take second place overall.
- Netflix ็ๆญๆพ้ๅข้ฟไบ 12.7%๏ผไฝฟๅ ถๅจ็ต่งๆปๆญๆพๆถ้ดไธญ็ไปฝ้ข่ทๅ 0.8%๏ผ่พพๅฐ 6.8%ใNetflix ่ฟ่่ไบไฝฟ็จไบบๆฐๆๅค็ๆตๅชไฝๆๅกใ
- ไบ้ฉฌ้็ไฝฟ็จ็ๅข้ฟไบ 20.8%๏ผไฝฟๅ ถไปฝ้ขๅขๅ ไบๅไธช็พๅ็น๏ผๅจ็ต่งๆปๆถ้ฟ็ๅ ๆฏไธๅๅฐ 2.6%ใ
In addition, the โother streamingโ category, which includes the platforms that have not yet reached the 1% of share threshold to be broken out individually, has grown its share from 8% to 10.5% when we include HBO Max for consistency, and is up 32.4% on an impressions basis over the past year. Much of the growth in this category stems from the proliferation of new services that have come online over the past two years, introducing vast choice that some estimate to exceed 200 services in the U.S. alone. Other big gainers in the โother streamingโ category include TubiTV (75% increase in usage) and Peacock (71% increase in usage).
Amid the array of media choice, the past year serves as further evidence that streaming is the future of TV, and audience-first mindsets will be best positioned to engage viewers as connected TV usage grows toward ubiquity. Given the shifts weโve seen over the past year, it seems likely that this summer may be remembered in the media industry as the summer of streamingโeven more so than the pandemic lockdown period.
[infogram id=”bc3e78c0-52a8-4469-84b1-afa975ba12c6″ prefix=”50k” format=”interactive” title=”One year of the Gauge”]
