Ad-supported content across legacy television and streaming platforms watched on household TVs accounted for almost 74% of a TV viewing in the first six months of the year, according to new data from Nielsen.
Viewing content with ads gained 1.2 share points to finish at 73.6%, while non-ad supported content consumption dropped to a 26.4% share.
Streaming picked up 2.9 share points compared to Q1 with the majority of that (2.7 share points) shifting over from ad-supported broadcast, and the remaining 0.2 share points being given up by cable.
Cable TV benefitted from a strong news cycle as well as broad coverage of the NBA playoffs, while the streaming platforms continued to introduce newly available seasons of popular shows such as Peacock’s “Love Island USA,” Netflix’s “Squid Game” and “Ginny & Georgia,” as well as recently re-released series such as “Animal Kingdom” and “Blindspot” on Netflix.
The report found that overall viewing in Q2 was down 9% compared to Q1, and viewing of ad-supported content was down 8%. Ad-Supported broadcast dropped 16% and ad-supported cable was down 8%. Ad-supported streaming held flat during a season when viewers tend to dial back their media consumption, according to Nielsen.
Earlier this year, Nielsen reported that streaming reached a historic milestone in May as its share of total TV usage outpaced the combined share of broadcast and cable for the first time ever.
That report found that streaming represented 44.8% of TV viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date, while broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) combined to represent 44.2% of TV.
Source: mediaplaynews.com