The news: Streaming’s share of television usage skyrocketed to 46% in June, while time spent with streaming increased 5.4% versus May, per Nielsen’s Total TV/Streaming Snapshot.
- Streaming was far above cable (23.4%) and broadcast (18.5%), growing nearly 6% YoY compared with June 2024, where streaming represented a 40.3% share of TV. June marked the first time broadcast fell below 20%.
- The increase was driven by Netflix, which recorded the largest monthly growth across streaming platforms. Netflix viewing time grew 13.5% compared with May, commanding an overall share of 8.3% of TV and 42% of streaming’s overall monthly gain, driven by original series “Ginny & Georgia.” Peacock also saw notable gains, with usage increasing 13.4%, largely driven by the new season of “Love Island USA.”
Yes, but: While audience attention is shifting to streaming, there are several caveats for advertisers hoping to capitalize on the rise of connected TV (CTV).
- CTV ads haven’t proven their effectiveness in driving action. Out-of-home (OOH) and traditional TV ads still outperform across metrics: OOH boosts ad awareness by 13.3% compared with CTV’s 2.2% and increases purchase intent by 9.8% compared with CTV (2.7%), per Clear Channel Outdoor and Kantar data. Traditional TV leads in boosting brand favorability (9%) and message association (5.6%) compared with CTV (2.7% and .9%, respectively).
- CTV’s household reach is low, only reaching 19.6% of the 95 million US households using CTV services in 2024. Advertisers struggle to manage ad frequency across CTV platforms, leading to over-delivery to the same viewers and under-delivery to a broader audience—massively limiting the format’s potential.
- Other issues CTV advertisers cite include the format’s fragmentation as providers proliferate (39%), transparency on where ads are running (39%), and inconsistent measurement standards (33%).
Our take: Advertisers are navigating a challenging landscape where connecting with broad audiences necessitates investment in a format that has yet to prove its ability to drive action.