Nielsen’s December 2025 Media Distributor Gauge reveals that a combination of holiday movies and live football events delivered strong viewing gains across the U.S. television landscape, boosting performance for major media companies and streaming platforms.
The monthly audience measurement snapshot tracks total viewing across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms, giving a comprehensive look at what audiences watched during the peak holiday period.
Sports and Seasonal Programming Drive Viewership
During December 2025, Disney experienced the largest multiplatform increase in overall viewing, rising 4% from November to reach a 10.7% share of total TV usage. ESPN was a key contributor, with a 30% increase in viewership driven by Monday Night Football, expanded college football playoffs, and College GameDay. At the same time, Disney’s Freeform channel more than doubled its November viewing thanks to a lineup of holiday films, including classics like Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.
Warner Bros. Discovery also saw notable gains, with cable networks TBS and TNT up 23% and 24%, respectively, propelled by college football coverage and holiday movies such as A Christmas Story. HBO Max contributed with a 10% uptick in viewing, boosted by original series It: Welcome to Derry and the continued popularity of The Big Bang Theory and Friends.
Streaming Platforms Hit New Highs
Streaming services also recorded significant increases during the holiday period:
- Netflix climbed into third place among distributors with a 10% monthly viewing increase, fueled by its NFL Christmas Day doubleheader and the runaway success of the latest season of Stranger Things. These combined lifts helped Netflix capture a record 9.0% share of total TV viewing for December.
- Amazon similarly enjoyed a strong month, with a 12% rise in viewing driven by Thursday Night Football, a record‑setting Christmas Day NFL game, and the new season of Fallout, earning the platform a 4.3% share of the market.
- The Roku Channel achieved a 3.0% share, marking a platform‑best result and reflecting substantial year‑over‑year growth in free, ad‑supported streaming viewership.
The Hallmark Channel dominated seasonal movie viewership, securing all five of the top cable movie telecasts in December with seasonal titles such as She’s Making a List and A Suite Holiday Romance.
Traditional TV Faces Headwinds
In contrast with other platforms, major broadcast networks saw a decline in overall contributions compared with November. The relative absence of high‑profile sports events — including NFL games on Thanksgiving, broader college football schedules on broadcast, and a lack of the World Series — contributed to lower viewing levels. Cable news networks also experienced reduced viewership during the period.
Record Streaming Engagement on Christmas Day
According to Nielsen’s Gauge, Christmas Day 2025 became the most‑streamed day ever, with 55.1 billion viewing minutes logged across platforms. NFL games on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video played a central role in this record, underscoring the continued integration of live sports into streaming consumption patterns.
What the Data Suggests
The December 2025 data illustrates how holiday content and major live events can significantly shape audience behavior, boosting cross‑platform engagement from cable to streaming. For content creators, marketers, and media planners, these trends emphasize the value of strategic programming — particularly sports and seasonal releases — in attracting and retaining viewer attention during key periods of the year.
Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge continues to offer one of the industry’s most comprehensive views of audience habits by combining linear and streaming metrics, helping stakeholders understand evolving consumption patterns in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
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Staff Report
Staff Report
Staff Report
