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For the first time ever in Nielsen’s monthly Gauge reports, the 1o most-watched streaming titles were distributed by seven different platforms: Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Paramount+ Netflix and Apple TV+.
Those titles included “Reacher” with 6.6 billion viewing minutes; “Family Guy” with 4.8 billion viewing minutes; “Bluey” with 4.8 billion viewing minutes; “The White Lotus” with 4.5 billion viewing minutes; “1923” and “Moana 2” with 3.9 billion viewing minutes each; “Running Point” with 3.7 billion viewing minutes; “Love is Blind” with 3.5 billion viewing minutes; and “Adolescence” and “Severance” with 3.3 billion viewing minutes each.
The new releases boosted streaming’s total share of TV viewing to 43.8%, despite a 6% month-over-month decline in overall time spent watching TV due to seasonality.
When taking a closer look by platform, YouTube continued to extend its lead with a record share of 12% for the month, despite lower viewing levels compared to February, followed by Netflix with 7.9%. Disney, which includes an aggregate of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, viewing, came in third for March at 5%.
Rounding out the remainder of the list was Prime Video at 3.5%, Paramount Streaming, which includes Paramount+ and Pluto TV, at 2.3%, The Roku Channel at 2.2%, Tubi at 1.9%, Warner Bros. Discovery streaming, which includes Max and Discovery+, at 1.5% and Peacock at 1.4%.
Max notably saw its largest month-over-month increase of 6% in March, driven by “The White Lotus.”
In addition to streaming’s gains, cable climbed to a share of 24% of TV usage, benefitting from a 29% boost from sports, specifically March Madness, and another strong month of cable news viewership.
The most-watched cable sports telecasts in March were NCAA Men’s Elite Eight games between Alabama-Duke and Texas Tech-Florida on TBS. Meanwhile, cable news programs accounted for seven of the top 10 cable telecasts, led by Fox News Channel’s coverage of the presidential address to a Joint Session of Congress on March 4, which drew 11 million viewers on the network and over 36 million total viewers.
As for broadcast, the category posted a share of 20.5% for March, down 9% month-over-month due to the absence of football.
The Oscars, which drove 20.3 million viewers across ABC and the simulcast on Hulu, was the most-watched program in March, with 18-to-34 year olds three times as likely and 35-to-49 year olds twice as likely to stream Hollywood’s biggest night compared to audiences that watched on other platforms. Across the rest of the broadcast category, scripted dramas accounted for 28% of its total viewing in March, with CBS’ “Tracker” representing five of top 10 broadcast telecasts, with each averaging over 10 million viewers despite competition from March Madness games.
