A recently disclosed list of like-to-like average viewer
comparisons of streaming TV shows versus linear TV provides a more detailed version of what many of us have already figured out:
Big streaming shows can be more popular -- and viewed
more than many linear TV series.
Netflix, to perhaps no one’s surprise, was revealed to factor strongly into much of this. The big premium streaming platform had 10 of the top 20 shows,
and posted 32 of the 110 overall shows surveyed, according to recent data compiled
by Nielsen client CBS.
The bigger headline was that it also had the top two shows for the just-completed 2024-25 TV season.
Netflix’s “Squid Game” ranked as top show
for the 2024-25 TV season, averaged 27 million average viewers per episode -- according to Nielsen’s live airing plus 35-day viewership per episode. Second best: Netflix’s
“Adolescence” at 19 million.
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The closest linear TV competitor was CBS’s “Tracker” at 17.4 million.
The data comes from Nielsen’s linear TV
(panel-only) results for persons two years of age and up, and Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings for the period from September 14, 2024 through April 6, 2025. Results exclude sports, specials, repeats
and regularly scheduled programs with fewer than four episodes.
The picture can now become a bit complicated because of premium streaming viewer additions -- after their original "live"
broadcast network airings. For example, there is Paramount+ (for CBS Television Network), Peacock (for NBC Television Network), and Disney+ and Hulu (for ABC Television Network).
CBS'
"Tracker" (with 17.4 million viewers) breaks down this way: 11.9 million on linear (CBS) and 5.5 million on streaming (Paramount+). CBS' "Matlock" was in sixth place -- at 16 million (10.5 million on
CBS and 5.5 million, Paramount+).
Still, even with these legacy TV company’s streaming platform viewer additions, Netflix (and even Prime Video’s "Reacher," which had 17.3 million,
in fourth place) have higher average viewers than many other linear TV broadcast and cable-originated shows.
For its part, Netflix also does some sharing: It shared two shows in the top 110
including "Younger" (with TVLand) and "Ms. Rachel" (with YouTube).
Looking at other network/streaming scorecards: CBS Television Network had 22 shows among the top 110; with Paramount+ at six
and Paramount Network, one (“Yellowstone”). Peacock also airs “Yellowstone”. And last year, CBS aired the premiere episode of the series.
On Walt Disney -- ABC
Television Network had 12 shows, with Disney+ at five and Hulu at three. For NBCUniversal, NBC Television Network had 14 and Peacock had 14. For Warner Bros. Discovery, Cable Network HBO (cable
network) and Max(streamer) had two each. For Fox Corp., Fox Television Network had four. Amazon had seven, and Apple TV+ had one.
Looking at just the full broadcast season in primetime -- live
plus 35 days of viewing -- CBS averaged 9.10 million, NBC had 7.06 million, ABC had 6.85 million; and Fox had 4.21 million.
So now with seemingly better like-to-like comparisons -- average
viewers versus say total minutes viewed -- will brands and advertisers make better decisions about their media plans for the year via the current upfront ad marketplace?
That’s another
story, and perhaps a more scheduled one at that: Nielsen says it is mulling a more regular release of these TV show comparisons in the near term.
This story has been updated.