Holiday Streaming Feast: YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video All Hit Record Viewing Levels In December, Nielsen Says​on January 21, 2025 at 1:00 pm

Streaming as a viewing category leveled up again in December, according to Nielsen‘s monthly Gauge report, rising 9% over the previous month after a comparable gain in November.

Collectively, streaming outlets accounted for 43.3% of total watch time on TV sets, up from 35.9% in December 2023.

Amid that rising tide, YouTube‘s share of overall viewing set a new record for the Google-owned video platform, at 11.1%. Prime Video also hit a new platform high at 4%, thanks in part to its exclusive Black Friday NFL telecast, Thursday Night Football and Dwayne Johnson holiday film Red One. While the big-budget film was a mediocre performer in theaters, it racked up 5.8 billion viewing minutes during December.

Nielsen said its latest edition of the Gauge captures viewing from November 25 to December 29, meaning Thanksgiving and Christmas are included but not New Year’s Eve. 

Netflix accounted for 8.5% of total viewing in December, tying the record level it reached in July 2023. The subscription streaming leader increased viewing 14% from the prior month thanks to two Christmas Day NFL games, action thriller Carry-On and the Season 2 premiere of Squid Game.

Max garnered an 18% monthly viewing increase in December, the largest among all streaming players.

College and NFL football were the main drivers for broadcast and cable during the span, gaining a respective 17% and 29% over the previous month. The cable category also saw an 18% bump in feature film viewing (after a 14% increase in November).

Broadcast networks pulled back on scripted dramas during the holiday season, resulting in an 18% dip in the genre. Cable news, following the end of the presidential election cycle, dropped by 27%. Overall, broadcast and cable viewing accounted for 22.4% and 23.8% of December TV watch time, respectively, and 46.2% of TV viewing combined.