The amount of time people spent watching cable and broadcast channels has fallen for the first time to less than half of all TV viewing, while streaming hit a new high, according to a report released Tuesday by market researcher Nielsen.
Broadcast fell to 20% of all viewing in July. Cable channels came in at 29.6% and streaming services led by YouTube, Netflix and Hulu accounted for 38.7%. Other types of viewing, such as video on demand and gaming, made up the rest.
The summer is normally a slow season for traditional TV. Broadcast and cable channels could regain some share, particularly when sports like football return in the fall.
Still, the long-term trend spells more gains for streaming services as consumers increasingly cancel their cable TV subscriptions in favor of more on-demand entertainment choices.
Major pay-TV providers lost a total of 1.73 million subscribers in the second quarter, according to data released Tuesday by the Leichtman Research Group Inc. The decline, about 2%, was roughly even with the same period last year.