Nielsen has released its latest “Gauge” data update for June 2024, which has given us a broad overview of how Americans watch television. This includes linear and streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu.

June’s data has now been revealed, highlighting how streaming is now the most common way to watch television, as June marked record highs in the share of TV usage by streaming for another straight month, now topping 40.3% of viewership. 

Traditional linear television is still the most popular form of cable and broadcast television combined, at over 47%, and that number is likely to continue shrinking as more people cut the cord and shift to streaming services.

June was also a massive month for Disney+, which was able to grow its usage by 14.8%, just ahead of Tubi at 14.7%, followed by Netflix at 11.8% and Max at 11.0%. This highlights the continued growth of streaming in general, but this is also a big boost for Disney+.

Additionally, most streaming services exhibited shares that were near or equal to previous platform bests, while YouTube and Tubi both set high watermarks with 9.9% and 2.0% of TV, respectively.  

The biggest new show of June on Disney+ was “The Acolyte”, which was met with lots of negative feedback from fans, but I also wonder how the addition of Hulu On Disney+ is now helping keep people engaged.   Combining Hulu and Disney+ together, the platform sits behind Netflix as the second biggest streaming platform.

Summer viewing traditionally dips, which is why we don’t see as many new releases, but with the extended school holidays, more younger viewers are home streaming entertainment rather than watching linear channels.  Younger audiences also helped drive a slight monthly increase in overall TV usage in June (+2.1%), which was also fairly flat compared with June 2023 (+1.3%).  It also helps that Disney+ has one of the most extensive collections of shows and films that appeal to younger audiences.

Tubi continues to catch up with Disney+, as the free ad-supported platform pulls away from its competitors like Pluto TV and Roku, which will no doubt get many executives at the different studios looking at why Tubi’s usage is exploding.

Netflix’s “Bridgeton” was the biggest winner of the month, pulling in 9.3 billion viewing minutes, while on cable, the CNN Presidential Debate pulled in almost 20 million viewers across CNN and Fox News.

Roger’s Take:  June was great for all streaming platforms, but seeing Disney+ grow its usage by 14.8% is a vast improvement and highlights the seasonal variation that can impact it.  It’ll be interesting to see if this continues as summer draws to a close.  I also can’t wait until Disney finally pulls the trigger to unify its streaming services, showcasing the true power of their combined studios in one platform.

Are you watching more Disney+ in the summer?  Let me know on social media!

For the latest Disney+ news, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.



Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

Related Article