YouTube extends lead as TV’s top media distributor, Nielsen reports

YouTube continued its dominance as television’s leading media distributor in July, marking its sixth straight month at No. 1 on Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge. The platform captured 13.4% of total TV watch-time, expanding its lead over Disney (9.4%) by 4.0 share points — the widest margin achieved by any company since the Gauge launched in November 2023.

According to Nielsen’s The Gauge, the summer slowdown in traditional TV consumption once again fueled gains for streaming-first platforms.

Streaming Platforms Set New Highs

Netflix held its place among the top three distributors with 8.8% share, adding half a point over June. Backed by a steady flow of originals and acquired titles, Netflix posted the largest volume gain across all streamers, adding 215,000 average viewers month-over-month. It was also the only streamer to show audience increases across all demographic categories.

The Roku Channel hit a new record, growing to 2.8% share (+0.3 pt.) and recording the largest month-to-month usage increase (+7.5%) across platforms.

Amazon climbed to 3.9%, just shy of its platform-best 4.0% set in December 2024. Its success reflected a diverse content slate: Ballard, the Bosch spinoff, pulled in 2.5B minutes viewed with older audiences, while The Summer I Turned Pretty drove 1.5B minutes among younger viewers (12–24). Overall, Amazon’s share of TV usage has surged 62% since July 2021.

Linear Networks See Seasonal Lift

Hallmark rose to 1.1% share, boosted by its annual “Christmas in July” programming event. New premieres, including the Unwrapping Christmas movie series and original titles like Holidazed and Christmas at Sea, drove a 19% audience lift for the network.

Looking Ahead

With fall around the corner, Nielsen notes that the return of live sports and the new broadcast season are expected to significantly influence viewing patterns and distributor share in the coming months.

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