Streaming services have been coming for the broadcast television crown in the U.S. for years.
Led by free services like YouTube, streaming represented 44.8% of television viewership in May 2025, its largest share of viewing to date, according to a Nielsen report.
During the same month, broadcast (20.1%) and cable (24.1%) combined to represent 44.2% of all TV viewing. It was the first time in Nielsen's history that streaming outpaced cable and broadcast TV combined.
