In December 2024, for example, Americans allocated 43% of their TV viewing time to streaming, compared with 26% in May 2021.
Nielsen also looked back on the successes of the past year, with a surprise at the top of the most-watched series of 2024.
Forget “Squid Game”, “Stranger Things” and other high-profile dramas; it’s the animated children’s series “Bluey” that has taken the prize. The Australian programme racked up 55.6 billion minutes viewed on Disney+.
The rest of the rankings were filled with long-established programmes, often originating on traditional TV channels.
In second place, “Grey’s Anatomy” totalled 47.85 billion minutes watched on various platforms. The medical series cemented its position as a must-see programme.
Over the last five years, the Shonda Rhimes creation has always been among the six most-watched programmes on streaming.
“NCIS”, “The Big Bang Theory”, “Law & Order: SVU” and “Criminal Minds” also featured in the Top 10 most-watched streaming series. Also of note were the animated series “Family Guy”, “Bob’s Burgers” and “SpongeBob SquarePants”.
Among streaming platform originals, “Bridgerton”, another Shonda Rhimes production, took first place. The third season, released in spring 2024, boosted the audience of the first two seasons. In total, the series accumulated 21.42 billion cumulative minutes, 56% of which were generated by the final episodes.
The reality show “Love is Blind” took second place with 16.45 billion minutes watched, outperforming exclusive shows such as “The Boys”, “Fallout” and “Futurama.”
The movie portion of the report was largely dominated by content aimed at younger viewers. “Moana” totalled 13 billion viewing minutes.
In a year that saw its sequel released in theatres, this Disney classic retained its position as the most-watched film on streaming, a position it has held since 2020.
“Super Mario Bros, the movie” was in second place, accumulating 11.72 billion minutes viewed in 2024. Of these, 5.7 billion were consumed by children aged two to 11.
Children’s content stood out in particular in this ranking. Of the top 10, nine were animated films. Only the Prime Video comedy “Red One” made it into the top 10, albeit in last place.