YouTube becomes the first streaming platform to surpass 10% of TV viewership

Summary

• YouTube leads as the top streaming platform with 10.4% of total TV viewership in July 2024.
• Other platforms like Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and Roku Channel also saw significant growth.
• Netflix maintains 8.4% TV viewership, but streaming consumption overall has risen by 15% in 2024.

While many excellent streaming platforms, YouTube arguably remains the best service out there. There are millions of creators contributing to YouTube’s content library very day, and the best part is that the streaming service is available for free. The company keeps improving the service, by adding new features every now and then, and Google’s ongoing efforts to make it the best streaming platform are paying off, as YouTube just hit a major milestone by becoming the first streaming platform to exceed 10% of total TV viewership.

The report from Nielsen states that streaming accounted for 41.4% of TV viewership in July 2024. Within this share, YouTube reached 10.4% of total streaming viewership, marking the first time an online platform has crossed this threshold. YouTube accounted for 9.9% of TV viewership in June 2024 and experienced a 0.5% growth in July — a significant month-on-month growth.

Other streaming platforms also saw a major boost in viewership

Moreover, not only YouTube but a number of other online streaming platforms experienced significant growth in July 2024. The report shows Peacock’s usage surged by 33% in the month of July, reaching 1.5% of total TV viewing, thanks to the coverage of the Summer Olympics and Love Island USA. Amazon Prime Video and Roku Channel also saw double-digit growth, reaching 3.4% and 1.6% of TV viewership, respectively.

Although the report doesn’t specify, Netflix held steady at 8.4% of TV viewership in July. However, Netflix has experienced a 6.33% increase in viewership since the start of the year. It’s also worth noting that the overall streaming consumption has risen by 15% since January 2024, marking significant growth in just over seven months.

It’s no surprise that streaming platforms continue to grow each month, gradually replacing traditional cable TV as more devices and screens surround us. However, it seems that cable TV still remains the preferred choice for news consumption. According to Nielsen’s report, cable TV news saw a huge growth in July, driven by the Republican National Convention and the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.