There is something poignant, if only slightly, about a measurement tool that knows it is about to be retired but must still show up for work.
Nielsen released the June edition of its monthly "Gauge" report on Wednesday morning, showing that streaming has climbed to a 48.5 percent share of total television viewing — data representing the month of May. The company acknowledged what media-buying and selling executives have been saying for some time: this is expected to be the last edition using methods that will be recalibrated, using more accurate universe estimates from the Advertising Research Foundation's DASH service, in time for the new television season.
(Whether the old methods were "lame duck" or merely "outgoing" depends, one supposes, on how charitable one feels toward Nielsen on any given morning.)
The report did contain some life signs for the legacy broadcasting business, which has grown accustomed to reading its own obituary. Broadcast television rose to a 19.8 percent share, compared with 18.5 percent a year ago, buoyed by FIFA World Cup matches on Fox and Telemundo and ABC's coverage of the NBA Finals. Cable, meanwhile, continued its long slide, falling to 19.5 percent from 23.4 percent.
Among streaming platforms, YouTube climbed to a 13.5 percent share from 12.8 percent, while Prime Video rose to 4.2 percent from 3.6 percent. Netflix, which has spent the better part of a decade as the streaming referent, slipped to 7.9 percent from 8.3 percent — a small decline, but the sort of thing that gets noticed in earnings calls.
Some analysts have suggested that the recalibrated estimates will show streaming with somewhat less commanding results against its older rivals. If true, it would not be the first time a new ruler changed the shape of the kingdom.
Original story published in MediaPost: "Streaming Climbs To 48.5%, Finds Last Lame Duck Edition Of Nielsen's 'Gauge'"