Streaming TV, Where Are You Now?

Since sequels and reboots seem to be all the rage these days, I thought, why not revisit a previous blog topic I did around three years ago, and do a blog sequel update?

That blog was titled “CTV Just Ate Cable TVs Lunch for the First Time”. The blog was posted in October of 2022. Relive its magical prose and stunning insights HERE

The blog itself referenced the meteoric rise of Streaming TV (then called ‘Connected TV,’ or CTV), and in fact, Streaming (Ok, CTV) had just that July (of 2022) eclipsed Cable TV in total viewing consumption for the very first time based on Season 4’s release of Stranger Things on Netflix. In all, that helped Streaming get 34.8% of viewership vs 34.4% for Cable. I remember researching and writing that blog, oh, those several years ago, and even referenced why I thought Cable was getting the shellacking they were. But I also said I thought that Cable and Streaming would be going back and forth over the next months and years over which would be first in viewing consumption. Maybe I was just being nice? Because that’s certainly not what happened. Time marched on, and the view is much different today, in mid-2025.

In the most recent Nielsen data, called ‘The Gauge’, it shows the following percentages of total viewing share for each platform and how they’ve changed:

Streaming Continues to Grow

In less than three years, Streaming TV extended its lead over Cable TV by over 20 percentage points, while Cable fell 10, with 5 of those 10 points dropped in just the last 12 months. It seems for some people, Cable TV is going the way of the home phone landline in 2004. Streaming has never been higher. Broadcast TV didn’t lose much, but in comparison, it didn’t have as much to lose. The biggest platform Broadcast TV has that allows them some viewer attrition immunity is live sports that viewers don’t have to pay to watch. Now, Streaming accounts for MORE share than that of Cable and Broadcast TV combined! (44.8% vs 44.2%) And before people point out that people stream live TV from broadcast or cable channels via apps, be aware that Nielsen notes that “…linear streaming is excluded from the streaming category as the broadcast and cable content viewed through streaming apps credits to its respective category.” In short, CTV just ate Cable and Broadcast TV’s Lunch for the first time.

The Commercial Question

Another assumption I had back when I was three years younger was “People flock to streaming because they don’t want to be besieged with commercials.” Well, when the October 2022 blog was written, Netflix had just launched their ad-supported tier for $6.99/month. After that, most of the other streaming players followed suit with their own ad-supported tiers, promising fewer commercials than cable for a near half-price monthly subscription rate compared to going with their commercial-less option. Subscriptions soared, and people flocked to the ad-supported editions to reap the savings, sign up for a number of streaming services, and ‘cut the cord’ with their cable company. Now in 2025, 72.4% of all TV viewing is STILL ad-supported. But if you believe all is rosy in the world of streaming TV, well…there have been some speedbumps to contend with…

It started with a crackdown on the sharing of account passwords amongst friends and family that Streamers locked down because it was costing them million$. Then, a newer trend emerged called “Subscribe-Watch-Cancel”, which works like this: A new series comes out on a Streaming service. People subscribe for 1 month, binge-watch the series they want, and then cancel, which is significant enough to put a big damper on the mailbox money Streamers got hooked on. So, Streamers activated weekly releases of shows, like network TV, to keep a gradual streaming experience for subscribers instead of binge-watching. This kept them hooked for at least 2 months, as viewers didn’t want to lose out on the real-time watercooler chat about the latest, greatest shows. They also offered subscription pauses instead of cancellations. And some Streamers also kicked in tried-and-true customer retention tactics like offering a free month to stay, or a 2-3 month big discount rate to kick the subscription-cancellation can down the road.

TV Watching Continues to Evolve

So here we are, three years later (and still no Series Finale Season 5 has been set for Stranger Things!) and the world of what we watch on TV, and how we watch, has continuously evolved. As a business, what does this mean if you want to advertise via television? It means weigh your budget spends accordingly to where your audience is watching and engaged. And realize how fast things can change…even in just three years.

So, there’s a sequel/reboot blog for you. Kind of a bloodbath for Cable and Broadcast TV, with Streaming emerging the superhero after being the scrapy underdog just three short years ago and now, reaching its full potential. OK, so the blog…It’s no Top Gun: Maverick. But it’s also not a Grease 2.  Hope you enjoyed it.

If you’re interested in television advertising, we can help guide you in getting the best return on your marketing investment that will yield positive results for your budget.

Roll Credits!

~ Bruce Thiem, CMOco Director of Integrated Media