YouTube maintained its top position as the biggest distributor of media by time spent with TV in the month of May, according to the latest Media Distributor Gauge report from Nielsen.
May was the third consecutive month that YouTube dominated the report: The video platform displaced the Walt Disney Company’s broadcast and cable networks and streaming services in February, with Disney falling to second place.
YouTube captured 12.5 percent of all time spent with TV in May, more than any other broadcast network, cable channel or streaming platform. The same figure was reflected in Nielsen’s monthly “The Gauge” report, which breaks down how Americans spent time with TV on a platform basis.
YouTube’s position was up 0.1 percentage points on a sequential basis. Disney had 10.7 percent of all time spent with TV in May, unchanged from the prior month.
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) had the biggest gain of any media company in May, growing 0.3 percent on a sequential basis and finishing the month with a 7 percent share. WBD was boosted by its coverage of the NBA Playoffs games — the last time the event will air on WBD-owned TNT Sports before games move to Amazon’s Prime Video and Comcast’s NBC and Peacock as part of a rights deal that begins later this year.
Nielsen said NBA viewership across TNT Sports and Disney-owned ESPN accounted for 31.4 billion viewing minutes last month. Seven games featuring the New York Knicks drew nearly 7 billion viewing minutes to TNT Sports alone, Nielsen affirmed. Live sports from TNT area also streamed on Max.
Fox Corporation added 0.2 points in May, partially due to NASCAR races on Fox Sports but primarily spurred by higher uptake in its free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service Tubi. Fox also had a 7 percent share of time spent with TV, matching WBD’s account for the month.
Streaming juggernaut Netflix had a 7.5 percent share of time spent with TV, a figure also reflected earlier in The Gauge. Paramount Global’s streaming services accounted for 2.2 percent of its 7.9 percent share of time spent with TV, with the rest owed to its broadcast and cable networks.
