Live sports and holiday movie programming drove record-breaking viewership to television during the December measurement month, according to a new report issued by Nielsen today.
In its Media Distributor Gauge report, Nielsen said YouTube maintained its position as the largest distributor of media content on television — even though the platform doesn’t license or produce its own shows or events, as other streaming platforms and traditional networks do.
With YouTube factored out, Disney’s streaming apps and networks accounted for the highest share of time spent with TV at 10.7 percent, followed by Netflix with a solid 9 percent and then Paramount’s streaming apps and networks with 8.6 percent.
Among free and broadcast TV options, The Roku Channel rounded out the month with a 3 percent share of time spent with TV, followed by channels and streams operated by the E. W. Scripps Company (1.7 percent), then Weigel Broadcasting’s slate of multicast networks (1.3 percent). Hallmark, known for its Christmas-themed movies that start airing on its networks in October, ended the December measurement period with 1.2 percent of time spent with TV.
Christmas Day was the most-streamed day on record, with 55.1 billion total viewing minutes, according to Nielsen. Coverage of the National Football League (NFL) on Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video led the day, helping both platforms achieve their highest-ever monthly shares. “Stranger Things” on Netflix gave that platform an edge over Prime Video.
Broadcast network affiliates and cable news outlets declined from November levels, reflecting a lighter sports schedule and the absence of marquee events such as Thanksgiving NFL games and the World Series.
The December 2025 measurement period covered four weeks from December 1 through December 28, in line with Nielsen’s broadcast calendar.
