Nielsen has released its latest “Gauge” data update for May 2025, providing a comprehensive overview of how Americans watch television, including both linear and streaming services such as Disney+ and Hulu.  

According to the latest Nielsen report, streaming reached a historic milestone in May, as the share of total television usage from streaming surpassed the combined share of broadcast and cable for the first time. Streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date, while broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) combined to represent 44.2% of TV.

Streaming has now become the dominant way that people are watching entertainment on TV, with cable becoming less important month on month. According to Nielsen’s data, comparing between May 2021 and May 2025, streaming has become the dominant viewing format with a usage increase of 71% in those years. And while broadcast and cable viewing have declined (down 21% and 39%, respectively, compared with May 2021).

Karthik Rao, Nielsen’s CEO, said in a statement regarding the new Gauge report:

“It’s fitting that this inflection point coincides with the four year anniversary of Nielsen’s The Gauge, which has become the gold standard for streaming TV measurement. It’s also a credit to media companies, who have deftly adapted their programming strategies to meet their viewers where they are watching TV – whether it’s on streaming or linear platforms.”

Along with the 71% increase in streaming usage, six additional streaming services are now reported in the list of platforms that exceed a full share point of TV usage. The original list included Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Prime Video and Disney+, and has expanded to 11 platforms in May 2025.

Disney accounted for 5% of usage across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, placing it just behind Netflix and ahead of Amazon Prime Video.

The continued transformation of traditional media companies into streaming-first entities has also been a strong contributor to the growth of streaming. Platforms like Hulu, Paramount+ and Peacock have expanded their accessibility to create crucial points of connection with streaming-native audiences, complementing rather than competing with their linear counterparts.

Roger’s Take: The monthly Gauge data from Nielsen is always a good indication of how the American audience is consuming its television.&nbsp. This report highlights why some of the major studios like Warner Bros. and Comcast are spinning off their linear channels into separate companies to offset the debt and why Disney is deprioritising the linear business.  

Over the next few months, as we head into the Fall, we might see traditional television viewership move past streaming again as the major sports events kick off, but with many of the major sporting events like Monday Night Football becoming available on streaming platforms such as the new ESPN service, eventually, streaming will just become the default for television viewership.

What did you watch on TV in May?  Let me know on social media!

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

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