Nielsen has released its latest Media Distributor Gauge data for July 2024, which takes a look at how much of each studio’s content is being watched. According to July’s Media Distributor Gauge, Disney has dropped from the top spot for the first time, with YouTube now taking the largest share of television viewing across linear and streaming platforms.

YouTube has taken the latest share among all of the distributors, with 10.4% of the viewership, compared to Disney, which now has 9.9% of total viewership across every platform, just ahead of NBC Universal.

Unlike most viewership charts, which usually just focus on either streaming or linear viewing, this data highlights how, when combined, the legacy media studios are still more popular than Netflix, which dominates the streaming viewership, but has no linear viewership.

One of the biggest issues facing Disney is how its content is spread out across different platforms like Hulu and Disney+, and channels like ABC, FX, National Geographic, etc.

YouTube continues to get more and more users since it offers a wide selection of different content, most of which is user-generated, but it also offers more traditional entertainment.   More and more kids are turning to YouTube for their entertainment rather than watching traditional shows. 

Disney is struggling to reach younger audiences. Though they’ve been picking up some successful YouTube shows, they’ve been unable to adapt to a changing marketplace, as YouTube moves quickly and creators generally don’t have all the same issues that Disney needs to deal with.  Many might argue that YouTube content is lower quality, but it does also allow for people to explore their own interests in a way that traditional media doesn’t. 

Roger’s Take:  Personally, this isn’t a huge surprise; I watch way too much YouTube on my big TV; often, it’s videos about video games, Warhammer, finance or Movie/TV news, none of which can be found on any streaming service.  YouTube offers something very different, however, the counter-argument is that it doesn’t offer expensive drama shows (yet!).  It’s also worth noting that YouTube TV is also benefiting from a collective system, which is also using content from these major studios, like movie trailers that get millions of views or the latest clips from late-night talk shows.  

Do you think Disney will be able to overtake YouTube to get back into first place?  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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