Streaming hits an all-time high and traditional TV accounts for less than half of all US viewing for the first time ever – and Meghan Markle’s Suits becomes the most watched show in July

Traditional television fell below 50 percent of all viewers last month, while streaming rose to a new all-time high, driven by shows like Meghan Markle’s Suits, which is newly available on Netflix.

In July, cable and broadcast TV together accounted for 49.6 percent of all viewing minutes, while streaming rose to a record high of 38.7 percent of total TV usage, according to Nielsen data.

The remaining 11.6 percent of all viewers fell into the “other” category, which Nielsen says is primarily attributed to video game consoles and, to a lesser extent, recorded media such as DVDs.

Suits, the USA Network series recently added to Netflix, set new viewing records for an acquired title, clocking in at nearly 18 billion minutes in July, while Australian kids’ show Bluey took second place of the month on Disney+.

By comparison, the Netflix original series Stranger Things also reached nearly 18 billion minutes of viewing in July 2022 after the end of its most recent season.

In July, cable and broadcast TV together accounted for 49.6 percent of all viewing minutes, while streaming rose to a record high of 38.7 percent of total TV use

Suits is also available on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock. The legal drama was added to Netflix in June and quickly attracted viewers with its binge-friendly back catalog of 134 episodes spanning nine seasons.

Markle, who played aspiring young paralegal Rachel Zane, left the show after its seventh season ended in 2018, the year she married Prince Harry.

While acquired content dominated streaming in July, a slew of original shows also released that month, including the new season of The Witcher and The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Prime Video, and The Bear on Hulu.

Nielsen said the high streaming ratings helped push Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube each to all-time highs for share of total viewers.

YouTube was the top streaming platform last month, accounting for 9.2 percent of all viewers, followed by Netflix (8.5 percent), Hulu (3.6 percent), Prime Video (3.4 percent), and Disney+ (2 percent). .

Time spent streaming TV increased 2.9 percent in July compared to June, and the category gained a full share point to finish at 38.7 percent of total TV use, breaking the previous all-time high. month was exceeded.

Australian kids’ show Bluey on Disney+ was the second streaming show of the month in the US

Streaming has been steadily gaining viewership, while cable and broadcast are declining

Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube each reach record highs for share of total viewers

Year-over-year, streaming viewership has grown 25.3 percent since July 2022, and the category has gained 7.3 share points, Nielsen said.

Meanwhile, broadcast and cable each represented record lows at 20 percent and 29.6 percent of total TV use, respectively.

Nielsen said that while dramas remained the most broadcast genre in July with 25.7 percent of the category, the top broadcast programs were ABC World News Tonight and the MLB All Star Game on Fox.

The top two cable shows of the month were ESPN’s Home Run Derby and College World Series were the top two cable shows in July, followed by When Calls the Heart on The Hallmark Channel.

But as streaming increasingly establishes itself as the dominant television format, the major streaming services are raising their prices.

The average cost of watching a major ad-free streaming service has increased nearly 25 percent in about a year, according to the Wall Street Journalwho called the phenomenon “flow inflation.”

The era of cheap streaming seems to be over as major services have increased their prices

Disney is raising the price of an ad-free Disney+ subscription to $13.99 a month and plans to launch a premium duo with Hulu ad-free for $19.99. Pictured: CEO Bob Iger

Last week, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company’s streaming platform will increase its prices for the second time in less than a year, increasing Disney+’s ad-free plan from $10.99 to $13 in October. .99 per month.

Disney-owned TV and movie subscription service Hulu will also see its prices jump from $14.99 a month to $17.99 a month for its ad-free tier in October — a 20 percent jump.

It follows similar moves to raise prices for Peacock, Max, Paramount+ and Apple TV+, as well as Netflix’s sweeping crackdown on password sharing.

Netflix also eliminated its popular $9.99 a month ad-free plan for new US customers last month.

This means consumers will have to choose from an ad-free “standard” monthly subscription of $15.49, an ad-free premium subscription of $19.99 for up to four simultaneous streams, or an ad-supported subscription of $6.99.