For the first time, the percentage of streaming viewers surpassed that of broadcast and cable viewers in July of 2022. According to Nielsen, streaming viewership was 34.8%, just barely above 34.4% for cable and 21.6% for broadcast. 
More statistics from Nielsen’s July report:
- Streaming viewership occupied an average of 109.9 billion minutes per week, an increase of 21 billion minutes from April of 2020. This indicates a push from the COVID-19 pandemic to streaming viewing.
- Streaming’s viewership share increased 6.5% YOY while TV viewership remained about the same.
- Sports viewing dropped 41% YOY, due to the lack of sporting events in 2020.
While the lack of televised/streamed sporting events in 2020 had a definite effect on the numbers, it doesn’t mean that streaming will be relegated to second place now that those events are back on schedule. While most events are on broadcast or cable TV, more and more sports events are moving to streaming platforms. Some MLB and NFL games are split between streaming services.
Some of the most popular shows, like Stranger Things, Severance, and The Rehearsal, are exclusive to streaming platforms.
What does this mean for marketers? Well, it’s obvious that streaming is the shiny new toy for ad placement. In addition, subscription platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are adding ad-supported tiers to their offerings. As more high-value content moves to streaming platforms, marketers will want to follow it.