Streaming Grows Share of TV Viewing in August: Nielsen
YouTube ties Netflix; 'Dragons' give HBO Max a lift

Streaming continued to increase its share of TV viewing in August, although cable and broadcast also gained share during the month, according to Nielsen.
Steaming’s share climbed to 35% from 34.8% in July, the first month in which streaming topped both cable and broadcast.
Among the streaming services, YouTube tied Netflix for the first time with a 7.6% share. Time spent watching YouTube was up 2.8%, including a 14.9% jump from YouTube TV. Netflix had an 8% share in July, but its big hit Stranger Things has cooled down.
Hulu edged up to 3.7% from 3.6%. Amazon Prime Video dipped to 2.9% from 3%; Disney rose to 1.9% from 1.8%.
HBO Max posted a big gain, rising to a 1.2% share from a 1% share with the launch of House of the Dragon.
Cable’s share edged up to 34.5% in August from 34.4% in July.
Broadcast viewing increased 1.2% and its share rose to 22.1% from 21.6%. Broadcast got a boost from shows like Big Brother in the “general variety” genre, and a rise in sports viewing, with baseball’s Field of Dreams game, the NFL’s preseason and college football attracting viewers.
The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry. Sign up below
Compared to a year ago broadcast viewing was down 10.9% and its share was off by 2.4 points.
Nielsen’s “other” category shrunk to 8.5% in August from 9.2%.
Total time spent viewing was down slightly in August from July’s level. ■
Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.