• by Wayne Friedman , Today

Looking at new episodes of TV shows for the 2025-26 broadcast season -- across all platforms where content aired -- showed Netflix and CBS/Paramount with strong results, according to a CBS release citing Nielsen data.

During a 35-day viewing period for those debut episodes of TV shows, eight of the top 25 shows ran on Netflix. The listing is for shows with four or more new episodes airing during the season.

Netflix had the three strongest shows overall: “Stranger Things” (32.9 million average viewers), “His & Hers” (25.6 million) and “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” (20.6 million).

Paramount (CBS, Paramount+, Paramount Network) was next with “Landman” (19.8 million), “Marshals” (19.3 million) and “Dutton Ranch” (19.2 million).

The Paramount platforms scored ten of the top 25 shows, outpacing Netflix (8), ABC/Disney (4) and Amazon, NBC/Peacock and HBO Max, which each had one.

ABC/Disney earned its strongest result with “High Potential” at 16.0 million. HBO Max’s “The Pitt” came in at 13.8 million, followed by Amazon’s “Fallout” (13.3 million) and NBC/Peacock’s “Chicago Fire” (9.8 million).

The Nielsen Big Data + Panel results were for the period September 14, 2025 through May 24, 2026

In comparison to company-wide overall share of total viewing, Walt Disney is currently at 10.3% share, with NBC/Versant Media second at 8.2%, according to Nielsen’s media distribution index for June.

This is followed by Paramount Skydance at 7.9%, Netflix with 7.8%, Warner Bros. Discovery at 6.0% and Amazon with 4.3%.