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Streaming has overtaken traditional TV for the first time – and one surprising service is leading the way

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Spoiler, it’s not Netflix

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(Image credit: Future)

It may seem that streaming platforms have been surpassing traditional TV for a while, but now the statistics have confirmed it is official.

According to Nielsen, last month was the first time that streaming was more popular than broadcast and cable TV combined in the US.

That’s because cable and broadcast TV viewership fell to just 24.1 and 20.1 per cent respectively. Streaming has jumped up to 44.8 per cent, however, nearing half of total TV viewership.

There is one platform that is leading the charge for streaming. YouTube has taken the crown as the most popular streaming service in the US right now, making up a whopping 12.5 per cent of all TV viewing.

This marks the platform’s fourth consecutive monthly share increase and the highest share of TV for any streamer to date.

Hot on its heels are Netflix with 7.5 per cent and Disney+ with 5 per cent.

With Netflix’s latest series of price hikes, it will be interesting to see whether Disney+ (a relative newcomer at just over five years of age) can get to second place at some point.

What streaming platform rules supreme in your home?

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Robyn Quick
Robyn Quick

Robyn Quick is a Staff Writer for What Hi Fi?. After graduating from Cardiff University with a postgraduate degree in magazine journalism, they have worked for a variety of film and culture publications. In their spare time, Robyn can be found playing board games too competitively, going on cinema trips and learning muay thai.

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