Even though the month lived up to its reputation as historically the time when TV viewership is at its lowest, May 2022 has seen streaming hit a new high claiming 31% of total viewing time in the US according to the latest Nielsen Gauge study.
The data for May showed that even as total viewing time with TV fell 2.7%, streaming usage increased by 1.5%, compared with April 2022 and up 5.7% compared with a year ago. The study also found that in May 2022, Netflix accounted for 6.8% of all viewing time, with YouTube on 6.7%. Hulu and Amazon accounted for 3.4% and 2.6% respectively, while Disney+ attracted 1.7%.
Streaming was boosted by the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ and season 4 of Stranger Things on Netflix. The appetite for these titles was significant said Nielsen, helping the two platforms attract big viewership as the programs dropped: Disney+ attracted 2.5% of the total TV share on 27 May and Netflix claimed 9.0% on 28 May.
Also in line with historical norms, broadcast and cable viewing both declined in May, as viewing volume fell 3.5% for each. Nielsen noted in the Gauge study that drama continued to drive broadcast viewership, with procedural crime dramas like NCIS, FBIand Blue Bloods helping the genre capture one-third of the broadcast viewing. While cable news viewing was down 4.2% in May, sports viewing was up 7%, accounting for 9% of total cable viewing. Notably, NBA playoff games accounted for the top six most-viewed cable programmes during the month.
Streaming was boosted by the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ and season 4 of Stranger Things on Netflix. The appetite for these titles was significant said Nielsen, helping the two platforms attract big viewership as the programs dropped: Disney+ attracted 2.5% of the total TV share on 27 May and Netflix claimed 9.0% on 28 May.
Also in line with historical norms, broadcast and cable viewing both declined in May, as viewing volume fell 3.5% for each. Nielsen noted in the Gauge study that drama continued to drive broadcast viewership, with procedural crime dramas like NCIS, FBIand Blue Bloods helping the genre capture one-third of the broadcast viewing. While cable news viewing was down 4.2% in May, sports viewing was up 7%, accounting for 9% of total cable viewing. Notably, NBA playoff games accounted for the top six most-viewed cable programmes during the month.
