Competitors in the Paris Olympics weren't the only ones breaking records last month – streaming services were setting PBs, too. And the standout star on smart TVs was YouTube, which is now comfortably eclipsing the likes of Netflix according to a fascinating new report.
Nielsen's The Gauge tracks viewing across all key platforms in the US on TV screens (smartphones, tablets and laptops aren't included). In July, streaming TV accounted for a record-breaking 41.4% of all TV viewing, breaking the previous record that had just been set this June. But the more interesting stats are how this breaks down among YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video and more.
Picking up the most gold medals was YouTube, which became the first ever streaming platform to exceed 10% of all TV viewing in July. Its views increased by 7%, taking it to 10.4% of all TV usage – up from 9.9% the month before. And when you compare its numbers to those of key rivals such as Max, Disney Plus and Prime Video, it's leading the race by a long way.
Here's how Nielsen says the different streamers compared last month – and which shows were carrying the baton...
Which shows won the streaming Olympics?
Another interesting facet of this report is how streaming's big hits are spread across multiple platforms. Ten different shows surpassed one billion minutes of viewing in July (another record), and these were spread across seven platforms – not great news for us unless you employ the tactic of subscription hopping, but still an interesting snapshot of what we're watching.
According to Nielsen, Max's House of the Dragon was the top streaming show last month. It delivered a whopping 4.7 billion viewing minutes, helping drive a 4% increase in Max's viewing numbers.
But Disney Plus also raced ahead, achieving 2.1% of all TV compared to Max's 1.4%. Its big show was Bluey, the second most-watched TV show, which delivered 4.3 billion viewing minutes last month. Prime Video's The Boys was the third most-viewed show, delivering 4.2 billion minutes.
Although no Netflix show made it to the winners' podium, it remains the biggest force behind YouTube with 8.4% of all viewing. That's more than double Prime Video's 3.4% and four times that of its other big-name rivals.
Peacock didn't get a medal either, but the Paris Olympics were good for the streamer: they helped drive Peacock's usage up by a huge 33% in July with a little help from Love Island USA. That 33% was the biggest viewing increase for any streaming platform: Prime Video was up 12% and The Roku Channel was up 10%.
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