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The news: Streaming outperformed broadcast and cable TV for the second month in a row in March despite an anticipated 6% seasonal decline in total TV consumption, reaching a new milestone in overall share of TV viewing, per a new Nielsen report. Streaming achieved its largest share to date, accounting for 43.8% of TV consumption, up from 43.5% in February.

CNN launches $3.99 paywall: It鈥檚 a bid to grow digital dollars as cable viewership and revenues decline.

WBD is distancing itself from declining cable networks, reportedly laying groundwork for a possible separation of its cable TV unit, per CNBC and later cited by Reuters. This follows similar moves by competitors like Comcast. Separating business units would allow WBD to grow its streaming segment without the burden of linear鈥檚 continued losses.

The company鈥檚 advertising tier has passed 94 million subscribers, and maintains more 18 to 34 year-old ad-supported users than any cable or broadcast provider. Netflix also highlighted that its subscribers are much more engaged with Netflix than other platforms, spending 41 hours monthly on the service.

FAST services will likely capture an increasing share of traditional linear TV鈥檚 declining audience as consumers seek familiar viewing experiences without cable costs. As more audiences shift to FAST, advertisers will accelerate investment. The array of channels and content available on FAST services makes it a valuable opportunity for marketers looking to reach specific audiences.

Gen Zers spend 1.3 hours per day watching TV shows and movies via streaming services, compared with 1 hour watching user-generated content (UGC), and 0.8 hours using cable and CTVs. Millennials spend 1.5 hours streaming, 0.7 hours consuming UGC, and 1.1 hours on social media.

Versant, the Comcast NBCU spinoff company combining most of NBCU鈥檚 cable TV networks, also promoted a broad content slate, spanning from the WWE Smackdown to the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards. NBCU will sell Versant鈥檚 US ad inventory during the next two upfront cycles.

Streaming watch time overtook cable and broadcast in May for the first time ever, per Nielsen. 15% of adults get their news from podcasts, which are especially popular with 鈥測ounger, better-educated audiences,鈥� compared with 13% for linear radio, per Reuters Institute.

A better solution would be scaling back on other ventures, such as Meta鈥檚 losing Reality Labs division and undersea cable plans. Our take: Brands should optimize local supply chains and explore service-based models when applicable to maintain profitability amid tariff disruptions. Meanwhile, consumers can turn to platforms that sell US-based inventory to manage price hikes.

The over-the-top (OTT) streaming landscape is rapidly becoming as crowded as the early days of cable TV. It is vital that marketers understand the scale, reach, and prospects of the various players in the industry.

Sling TV launched in 2015 with the intention of disrupting the TV industry by offering cable packages delivered virtually at a reduced price. The concept proved potentially viable enough that a handful of competitors began offering similar products. For their first few years, digital pay TV services recaptured nearly three-fourths of people leaving their pay TV packages.

CEO Christopher Ruddy criticized the inefficiencies of the cable bundle and framed Newsmax as a modernized platform with revenues from advertising, carriage fees, podcasts, and streaming. Why it matters: The rise of Newsmax reflects a broader recalibration among advertisers, who are increasingly willing to spend on conservative media outlets.

The college football playoffs drove a 42% increase in cable sports viewing, with the National Championship Game drawing 22.1 million viewers. Prime Video exclusively streamed the NFL Wild Card playoff game, leading to the second-highest day of streaming on record at 47 billion minutes.

In Q2 2024, cable and broadcast linear TV accounted for nearly 90% of the time viewers spent watching ads on TV screens, according to ESHAP鈥檚 analysis of Comscore data. That鈥檚 due to the higher ad loads there and the commonality of ad-free streaming. Ad load estimates for linear TV vary, but generally the average is about 15 minutes of ads per hour.

Only 49% of respondents have a cable or satellite TV subscription, down from 63% three years ago. Younger generations are more likely to state they will cancel these subscriptions within the next 12 months, with 23% of Gen Zers and 18% of millennials planning to cancel compared to 8% of baby boomers.

Traditional pay TV services include cable, satellite, telecom and fiber operators, multiple system operators (MSOs), multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), and major TV broadcast and cable networks. Virtual multichannel video programming distributors (vMVPDs) are internet-delivered live TV services (e.g., Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV).

Over one-third (37.7%) of US consumers鈥� time spent with TV is with streaming services, per Nielsen. Cable is not far behind, with a 30.6% share of consumers鈥� TV time.

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of a seventh consecutive US monthly ad market decline, how ad prices look compared to before the pandemic, and what we expect ad spending in Q2 to look like. "In Other News," we talk about an initiative aimed at reducing barriers to buying ad inventory and sponsorships for women's sports, as well as how many Americans still have cable鈥攁nd for how long. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Paul Verna.

Which country watches more cable TV? A) United States B) Poland. In Poland, traditional cable TV represents 33.2% of total TV viewing time, while streaming represents just 8.2%, according to Nielsen data. In the US, streaming commands a 38.3% share of TV viewing time, while cable comes in at 28.1%. April 17, 2025. Which generation are the most frequent users of voice assistants?

On today's podcast episode, we discuss who's leading the ad-supported vs. ad-free video streaming race, how much money is coming from both avenues, and how streaming will differ from (and look the same as) cable in a few years. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Ross Benes.

On today's episode, we discuss how recent YouTube TV price hikes will affect subscriptions, whether streaming TV actually costs less than cable, and if a sports streaming hub is a viable product. "In Other News," we talk about what Roblox's new ad rules will do to the metaverse and why Walmart+, Walmart's membership program, is resonating with high-income shoppers. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

Share of viewing time between cable and broadcast TV in the US fell to a combined 49.6% last month, according to Nielsen.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the travel rebound and how tech is helping it out, how Black Friday football (with a side of online shopping) performed this year, will X (formerly Twitter) go bankrupt next year, a new way to stream NBA games post-cable, what to expect from ChatGPT next year, why your passport is the color it is, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, forecasting analyst Zach Goldner, and director of forecasting Oscar Orozco.

Time spent is decreasing across cable and broadcast TV but increasing in streaming. In Q4 2022, streaming boosted overall time spent with TV among US adults, reversing the decline in TV viewing over the past few years, according to Nielsen.

US connected TV (CTV) ad spend will continue to grow through 2027, when it will reach $40.90 billion, according to our forecast. Apart from a small bump next year, ad spend on TV (including broadcast and cable TV) will decline over the next few years. Still, TV鈥檚 share of total ad spend is larger than CTV鈥檚, indicating it remains a key player in marketers鈥� ad strategies.