Netflix accounted for 8.4% of total cross-platform TV usage in June, an 11.8% jump from the previous month. The new data moves the streamer from sixth to fourth place in Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge report.
Despite the improvement, the company remains behind Disney, who held steady in the top spot with 10.8%. That was driven by a 15% increase in Disney+ usage.
Rounding out the top three was YouTube, which saw a 4.2% increase in time spent to 9.9% of total TV usage, and NBCUniversal, which recorded an 8.5% share after losing half a share point. Close behind Netflix are Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery at 7.9% and 7.4%, respectively.
“The Olympics will certainly put the spotlight on NBCU throughout July and August as their coverage of the biennial event has historically drawn large audiences to all of its platforms,” the firm noted.
Elsewhere, Tubi saw a 15% bump in usage to make up a share of 2% for the month. It was the second-best performer behind Fox News Channel, helping Fox climb to 6.6% of TV usage.
Amazon reported a share of 3.2%, followed by Scripps (2.2%), The Roku Channel (1.5%) and Weigel Broadcasting (1.4%).
A&E saw an 11.1% jump to a 1.4% share, while AMC had a 7.7% increase to 1.1% and Hallmark received a 6.1% bump to 1.2%, driven by the lack of sports and drama content on broadcast networks during the month.
The latest data comes as streaming accounted for a record 40.3% of total TV usage during the month, the highest for any viewing category since The Gauge reports began in May 2021. (The previous single-category record was set by cable in June 2021 when it reached 40.1% of TV.)
While it ranked fourth for media distribution, Netflix ranked second on The Gauge with 8.4% of TV viewing, only behind YouTube’s 9.9%. “Bridgerton” generated 9.3 billion viewing minutes during the month, while the Bryan Cranston-led Showtime series “Your Honor” followed with 7.5 billion minutes across Netflix and Paramount+.
Overall, the streaming category saw a 16% increase in viewing from kids 2-11. Younger audiences also helped drive a slight monthly increase in overall TV usage in June (+2.1%), which was comparative to June 2023 (+1.3%).
