According to Nielsen‘s measurement of televisions in the U.S. (mobile devices and other countries excluded), streaming was 44.8% while broadcast and cable viewing combined was 44.2% of all TV watched.
This is the first time streaming has passed the total of broadcast and cable categories.
Over the last four years streaming usage has increased 71% with broadcast down 21% and cable down 39%.
YouTube Main (excluding YouTube TV) is up over 120% since 2021. YouTube is the top streamer with 12.5% of all television viewing in May while Netflix was second with 7.5%.
There was a 6-7% shift in overall TV viewing over the last year. If this trend continues then streaming will be 50% of overall TV viewership by mid-2026 and broadcast and cable will drop to about 38%. This would likely be 18% broadcast and 20% cable. Cable is collapsing faster than broadcast.
In 2-3 years, Youtube should surpass cable.
The next few years will likely see the rise of X (X and XAI combined) in video and content distribution. This will be supported by SpaceX Starlink transmitting directly to billions of cellphones. The access to a large audience will be the key to that success. AI will enable the creation of higher quality content for lower cost. It will just be the access and connection to a larger audience by AI-enhanced content creators.
A lot of the content (TV shows, live sports, movies) is the same but they are moving to streaming. There is the growing streaming only content.
In 2025, YouTube has over 2.5 billion monthly active users globally, while Netflix has over 340 million paying subscribers, with more than 600 million users (some are ad supported). In 2025, X has about 650 million active monthly users and about 300 million active daily users and 100 million users of X video. X will radically grow when the Starlink internet access to billions of cellphones is created starting in the second half of 2025 and is majorly rolled out in 2026.
In 2024, YouTube led the market with $42.5 billion in revenue, while Netflix generated $39.2 billion. 2025 projections show Netflix pulling ahead, reaching $46.2 billion, driven by $43.2 billion from subscriptions and $3.2 billion from advertising. In 2025, YouTube is expected to generate $45.6 billion, with $36 billion from advertising and $9.6 billion from YouTube Premium.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
