THE GAUGE: NIELSEN'S MONTHLY TOTAL TV AND STREAMING SNAPSHOT FOR DECEMBER

Rhea-AI Summary

Nielsen's The Gauge reported a record 183 billion minutes streamed in the U.S. during December 2021, marking a 33% share of total TV viewing over Christmas. This surpassed the previous record of 178 billion minutes during Thanksgiving. Streaming's share remained stable at 28%, while cable maintained the largest share at over 37%. Broadcast viewing dropped one share point, and the 'Other' category, including gaming, gained 1.6%. The Gauge's data now includes more granular metrics for better monthly analysis.

Positive

• Streaming in December 2021 reached 183 billion minutes, a record high.
• Over-the-top platforms captured 33% of total TV viewing during Christmas week.
• Overall streaming share remained stable at 28%.
• Nielsen's Gauge offers expanded data granularity for more precise month-to-month analysis.

Negative

• Broadcast viewing decreased by one share point.

NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) announced that The Gauge, its monthly total TV and streaming snapshot, revealed that streaming in the U.S. reached a new all-time weekly high of over 183 billion minutes of video in December 2021, giving over-the-top platforms a record-breaking 33% share of total TV viewing during the week of Christmas.

According to The Gauge, aggregate viewing for streaming platforms surpassed the previous-high of 178 billion minutes streamed during Thanksgiving week in November 2021. Prior to that, the 160 billion minutes streamed during March 2020 was the highest total. The overall percentage share for streaming remained flat from the previous month at 28%. Cable viewing continued to account for the largest percentage as measured by The Gauge, with just over 37% total share of viewership.

The Gauge also shows that broadcast viewing dropped one share point, while the "Other" category, which includes video on-demand content, cable set top box streaming, gaming, and DVD usage, gained 1.6% share on the strength of video gaming's premiere season.

Additionally, The Gauge has now expanded the granularity of usage data, displaying an additional decimal point to better reflect and delineate month-to-month changes in viewing share.

Measuring and monitoring consumers' streaming behavior in a comparable way against linear TV usage is a critical source of information for the industry as content creators, media companies, streaming platforms, advertisers, industry groups, talent agencies and the talent themselves all seek clarity around the various video content that consumers engage with.

About The Gauge
Nielsen's The Gauge is underpinned by both its TV ratings service as well as Streaming Platform Ratings, the latter provides clients with measurement detailing the amount of time consumers spend streaming and on which platforms. This broad look at platform usage provides complimentary insights to Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings, which details viewing to subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) content at the title, program and episode level. By showcasing both the micro and macro-level data sets, the industry has a full picture of how this media is being consumed, as well as when and by whom. Nielsen's approach to audience measurement, which leverages a geographically representative panel of real people and big data, is built for the future of media consumption. With The Gauge, the future of TV consumption is visible in a single view. The latest edition of The Gauge is always available at www.nielsen.com/thegauge.

About Nielsen
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a leading global data and analytics company that provides a holistic and objective understanding of the media industry. With offerings spanning audience measurement, audience outcomes and content, Nielsen offers its clients and partners simple solutions to complex questions and optimizes the value of their investments and growth strategies. It is the only company that can offer de-duplicated cross-media audience measurement. Audience is EverythingTM to Nielsen and its clients, and Nielsen is committed to ensuring that every voice counts.

An S&P 500 company, Nielsen offers measurement and analytics service in more than 55 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com or www.nielsen.com/investors and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

 

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SOURCE Nielsen

FAQ

What is the record streaming time reported by Nielsen for December 2021?

Nielsen reported a record 183 billion minutes streamed in December 2021.

What percentage of total TV viewing was accounted for by streaming platforms during Christmas 2021?

Streaming platforms accounted for 33% of total TV viewing during Christmas 2021.

How did Nielsen's Gauge expand its data metrics?

The Gauge now includes an additional decimal point for more detailed month-to-month viewing share data.

What was the streaming minutes comparison with Thanksgiving 2021?

In Thanksgiving 2021, streaming reached 178 billion minutes, which was surpassed in December.

What share did cable viewing account for according to The Gauge?

Cable viewing accounted for over 37% of total viewership.