Broadcast, cable television viewing drops to historic low in July

According to Nielsen data, broadcast and cable television made up less than half of TV viewing for the first time in July 2023. The two forms of linear television combined for just 49.6% of viewership. The TV viewing breakdown looked like this:

• Streaming: 38.7%
• Cable: 29.6%
• Broadcast: 20%
• Other: 11.6%

The share of broadcast and cable television viewing dropped 3.6% and 2.9% respectively in July. Year-over-year, broadcast viewership has fallen 5.4%, with cable TV dropping 12.5%.

The 38.7% of television viewership that streaming brought in was a record high, rising 25.3% year over year. YouTube and Netflix alone had nearly as many viewers as broadcast television. Some of the notable streamers for July include:

• YouTube: 9.2%
• Netflix: 8.5%
• Hulu: 3.6%
• Amazon Prime Video: 3.4%
• Disney+: 2%

“An array of new original programs arrived on streaming platforms in July, including The Witcher and The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Prime Video and The Bear on Hulu, but acquired content was the stand-out for the month,” Nielsen said. “Suits, streaming on Netflix and Peacock, and Bluey on Disney+ were the most watched programs in July, accounting for 23 billion viewing minutes.”

The Nielsen numbers came as streaming services appear to be changing its strategy from collecting subscribers to shoring up profits with high prices. Disney recently announced that it’s hiking Disney+ prices for the second time in less than a year, increasing the monthly cost of its ad-free plan $3 to $13.99.

Hulu, which Disney holds a majority stake in, will also increase the monthly cost of its ad-free subscription by $3 to $17.99. Max, Paramount+ and Peacock have also made similar announcements in 2023.