watching services like YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video set new records in viewership during December, according to Nielsen
Streaming Giants Dominate Holiday Viewing in 2024
Streaming platforms shone brightly during the holiday season in December 2024, with Netflix, YouTube, and The Roku Channel leading the charge, according to Nielsen's The Gauge report. Despite a lack of explicit holiday-specific data, the trend of increasing streaming viewership and record-setting shares for these platforms throughout mid-2025 strongly suggests they were the leading streamers during the prior holiday period as well.
Netflix, in particular, posted the largest monthly increase among media companies in June 2025, reaching an 8.3% share of TV usage. This growth was fueled by new content releases and increased viewing among younger audiences. YouTube maintained the top spot in The Gauge's media distributor rankings, holding a 12.8% share of TV usage in June 2025, the highest share recorded. The Roku Channel also contributed to streaming's dominance with record-level viewership shares in July 2025.
One of the standout titles on these platforms was "Red One" on Prime Video, which generated 5.6 billion viewing minutes, becoming the month's top streaming title. Netflix's "Carry-On" also garnered significant attention, accumulating 5.2 billion viewing minutes from Dec. 13 to 29. Prime Video's new original reality series, Beast Games starring Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, also saw success, accumulating over 700 million viewing minutes across its first three episodes.
Streaming viewership overall climbed another 9% in December, accounting for nearly half (46.2%) of all TV viewing. This increase was seen across all three major platforms. YouTube viewing, for instance, increased by 7% in December, reaching a record 11.1% share of TV usage.
While the broadcast and cable categories saw increases in sports viewership, they were not able to match the growth seen in streaming. The NFL, various college bowl games, and the first round of the College Football Playoff contributed to a 17% and 29% increase in sports viewership for broadcast and cable, respectively. However, broadcast networks experienced a 18% dip in scripted dramas during the holiday season. Cable, on the other hand, saw a 18% increase in feature-film viewing, but had a 27% decline in cable news due to the end of the presidential election cycle.
In conclusion, the holiday season of 2024 was a time of significant growth for streaming platforms, with Netflix, YouTube, and The Roku Channel leading the way. The trend of increasing streaming viewership and record-setting shares for these platforms throughout mid-2025 strongly indicates they were the leading streamers during the prior holiday period as well. As we move forward, it will be interesting to see how these trends continue to evolve.
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