June’s streaming numbers tell a familiar story: Netflix dominates, but this time it wasn’t alone.
According to Nielsen’s 50th edition of The Gauge, total streaming viewership jumped 5.4% month-over-month to account for 46% of total TV usage in the U.S., a new high for the year. The primary drivers were Netflix’s powerhouse June lineup and a seasonal surge from school-aged viewers home for the summer.
Netflix reported a significant 13.5% month-over-month increase in viewing, contributing 42% of all streaming growth in June and boosting its total TV share to 8.3%. That’s a jump of 0.8 points in just one month, its largest gain in recent memory. A slate of content that hit across multiple audience segments fueled the growth. Ginny & Georgia topped the month with 8.7 billion viewing minutes. Acquired titles Animal Kingdom and Blindspot delivered back-to-back hits with 5.71 billion and 5.69 billion minutes, respectively. The late-month arrival of Squid Game Season 3 generated nearly a billion minutes per day in the final three days of June. Netflix demonstrated again how a combination of popular originals and high-performing library content can create a wave large enough to lift the entire category.
Peacock wasn’t far behind, climbing 13.4% in viewership and adding 0.1 share points to reach 1.5% of total TV, up 0.3 points compared to June 2024. Love Island USA drove the growth, generating 4.4 billion viewing minutes and ranking as the fourth most-watched title of the month. While still a relatively small player, Peacock’s trajectory puts it on a faster growth path than many of its mid-tier peers.
The wildcard this month was kids and teens. Total TV usage among 6–17 year-olds increased by 27% from May, and 66% of their TV time was spent streaming. That shift heavily benefited Netflix and Peacock, with Netflix seeing a 32% increase and Peacock a 37% increase in viewing from this demo. Their influence was also felt in the “Other” category, which includes video game console and set-top box usage. The category rose 14% overall, but among kids and teens, it surged by 41%.
Linear TV continued its downward slide. Broadcast dropped 5% and fell below the 20% share threshold for the first time, landing at 18.5%. Cable, while relatively flat in usage, still lost 0.7 share points due to the broader increase in total TV time, finishing at 23.4%. There were some bright spots: the NBA Finals helped boost broadcast sports viewing by 17%, and the NBA Conference Finals, cable news, and special programming helped cable stay afloat. But none of it was enough to counter the structural trend of declining linear share.
Streaming’s gains in June weren’t just about content; they were about timing, audience behavior, and platform momentum. Netflix and Peacock capitalized, while traditional TV continued to recede in the background.
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