## Holiday Cheer Comes with a Side of Binge-Watching: Streaming Giants See Record Usage This Year
The scent of pine needles, the twinkle of fairy lights, and… the relentless scroll of the Netflix homepage? This holiday season, family gatherings and festive feasts are getting a streaming boost, as YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video report record usage highs.
Forget the awkward uncle questions and the politics-heavy dinner table conversations – this year, millions are opting for the comfort of their couches and the endless entertainment of their favorite streaming platforms. But what does this surge in holiday streaming tell us about our changing viewing habits? And are these giants of entertainment poised for even greater dominance in the years to come?
Streaming Services See Record Highs During 2024 Holidays
The holiday season brought big wins for streaming platforms, with YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video all hitting or tying their best mark ever in Nielsen’s monthly snapshot of TV use. As the entertainment landscape continues to evolve, Morningpicker has the details on how streaming services are capturing a larger share of viewer attention.
Nielsen’s December Gauge rankings — which, due to a quirk of how Nielsen collects its data, also include the last week of November — show streaming services commanding an all-time high of 43.3 percent of all TV viewing in the United States. That’s within a few percentage points of the combined 46.2 percent for broadcast (22.4 percent) and cable (23.8 percent) for the month. YouTube, as usual, was the top individual streaming service with 11.1 percent of TV use, up from 10.8 percent in the November rankings and its best showing to date. Netflix — which had two heavily watched NFL games on Christmas — matched its all-time high of 8.5 percent (set in July 2023), and Prime Video had 4 percent thanks to its weekly NFL games, the big holiday movie Red One, and the first few episodes of its high-profile competition show Beast Games.
Implications for Traditional TV and Advertising
This shift in viewing habits has significant implications for both traditional TV networks and advertisers. Broadcast and cable networks are facing increasing competition from streaming services, which offer a wider variety of content, more personalized viewing experiences, and the ability to watch on-demand. Advertisers are also following viewers, with many brands increasingly allocating their budgets to streaming platforms.
The Rise of Streaming: What It Means for the Industry
Analysis of the Growing Importance of Streaming Services in the Entertainment Landscape
Streaming services have become a dominant force in the entertainment industry, transforming the way people consume content. The rise of streaming is driven by several factors, including the increasing availability of high-speed internet, the convenience of on-demand viewing, and the desire for more personalized content experiences.
Streaming services are also challenging traditional notions of ownership and distribution. By licensing content from studios and producers, streaming services can offer a vast library of movies and TV shows without the need for expensive production costs. This has created a more competitive environment for content creators, who now have more platforms to reach their audiences.
How Streaming Services Are Changing the Way We Consume Content
Streaming services are changing the way we watch TV and movies in several ways:
- On-demand viewing: Streaming services allow viewers to watch content whenever they want, without being tied to a specific broadcast schedule.
- Personalized recommendations: Streaming services use algorithms to recommend content based on a user’s viewing history and preferences.
- Binge-watching: Streaming services make it easy to watch multiple episodes of a show in a row, leading to the phenomenon of binge-watching.
- Global reach: Streaming services have the potential to reach audiences worldwide, breaking down geographical barriers.
What the Future Holds for Traditional TV and Streaming Services
The future of television is likely to be a hybrid model, with both traditional TV and streaming services playing a role. Traditional TV networks will need to adapt to changing viewer habits by offering more streaming options and personalized content. Streaming services will continue to grow in popularity, but they will also face challenges, such as content costs and competition from new entrants.
Top Streaming Titles of the 2024 Holiday Season
Original Series and Movies Dominate Streaming Charts
The 2024 holiday season saw a surge in viewership for original series and movies on streaming platforms. Amazon’s Red One, starring Chris Evans and Dwayne Johnson, topped Nielsen’s streaming charts for the week of Dec. 9-15, with 2.1 billion minutes viewed. The movie, a Christmas-themed action comedy, also had a short theatrical run, making about $186 million worldwide at the box office.
Netflix’s Carry-On, a thriller starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman, came in second with 1.69 billion minutes viewed. The movie premiered on Dec. 13, scoring impressive viewership figures in its first week.
Netflix also had a strong streaming premiere for It Ends With Us, the controversy-laden movie based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel. It drew 977 million minutes of watch time for the week, good for fourth place overall in Nielsen’s rankings.
Acquired Series and Movies Still Hold Their Own
While original content continues to attract viewers, acquired series and movies remain popular on streaming services. Disney’s Bluey, the beloved preschool animated series, was the third most-watched show for the week of Dec. 9-15 with 905 million minutes viewed.
Other popular acquired series included Grey’s Anatomy, Bob’s Burgers, and Family Guy, which all placed in the top 10. Popular holiday movies like Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018) and Elf also saw a boost in viewership during the holidays.
Streaming Services with the Most to Gain
The success of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ during the holiday season highlights the growing importance of original content and holiday-themed programming. These platforms are likely to benefit the most from the continued shift towards streaming, as they have the resources to invest in high-quality programming and create exclusive content that attracts and retains subscribers.
The Impact of the 2024 Holidays on Traditional TV
Broadcast and Cable Viewing Takes a Hit
Broadcast and cable networks saw a decline in viewership during the December holidays, as viewers turned to streaming platforms for their entertainment fix. Dramas saw an 18 percent drop in month-to-month viewing, while news viewership slumped by 27 percent following the presidential election.
The decline in traditional TV viewership can be attributed to several factors, including the rise of streaming services, the increasing availability of high-speed internet, and the preference for on-demand viewing.
Local News Sees a Surge in Viewership
While national news viewership declined during the holidays, local newscasts saw a surge in viewership. Los Angeles residents turned to local TV newscasts in large numbers as wildfires raged through the city last week. Ratings for evening and late news on L.A. broadcast affiliates grew across the board in the week of Jan. 6-12, particularly on Jan. 7, when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out and spread rapidly.
Network evening newscasts also saw a significant increase in viewership, and cable news outlets also experienced growth.
Traditional TV’s Place in the Entertainment Landscape
Traditional TV still holds a significant place in the entertainment landscape, but it will need to adapt to changing viewer habits to remain relevant. Networks will need to offer more streaming options and personalized content to compete with streaming services. The rise of local news highlights the enduring value of trusted local journalism.
Morningpicker will continue to monitor the evolving media landscape and provide insights on how streaming services and traditional TV navigate this dynamic environment.
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