Streaming’s lead over traditional television viewing narrowed in February, with linear TV reclaiming a larger share of U.S. viewing time, according to new data from Nielsen. Streaming accounted for 41.9% of viewing, compared with 47.4% for broadcast and cable combined, reversing gains reported just a month earlier.
The shift follows January data showing streaming at 47% and linear TV at 42.7%, and comes after Nielsen had previously announced that streaming surpassed traditional TV for the first time in May. The February reversal reflects both methodological changes and seasonal programming factors.
Nielsen recently updated its measurement approach by incorporating data from the Advertising Research Foundation, rather than relying solely on its own panels. The change, encouraged by the Media Rating Council, is intended to improve demographic accuracy but resulted in a one-time shift in reported viewing shares.
The Wall Street Journal reports streaming platforms broadly saw declines in their share of TV viewing in February. YouTube dropped to 11% from 12.5%, Netflix fell to 7.5% from 8.8%, Amazon Prime Video declined to 3.3% from 4.1%, and Roku decreased to 2.4% from 3%. Other services, including Disney+ and Paramount+, also lost share.
The report was briefly delayed after streaming companies requested more detail on how much of the decline stemmed from the new methodology versus actual changes in viewing behavior. Industry analysts, including Owl & Co. founder Hernan Lopez, said the results may indicate that traditional TV had been undercounted in prior reports.
Nielsen said the updated methodology would create a one-time adjustment but maintained that long-term trends still favor streaming growth.
The data arrives ahead of the annual upfronts and newfronts, where broadcasters and streaming platforms compete for advertising dollars, making the revised viewing shares particularly significant for the media industry.