Television viewing in the United States in November 2025 was shaped by a mix of live sports, marquee streaming releases and holiday-driven consumption, according to Nielsen’s latest Media Distributor Gauge. Paramount and Netflix emerged as the biggest gainers during the month, posting double-digit growth over October and reshaping the competitive landscape of TV distribution.

According to the Nielsen report, Paramount registered a 14 per cent increase in overall viewing in November, ending the month with its highest share of television watch-time since April. The company accounted for 8.9 per cent of total viewing, moving up to the third position in the Media Distributor Gauge rankings.

Paramount also recorded the largest month-on-month share gain among all distributors, adding 0.7 share points, driven by strong performances across both broadcast and streaming. CBS affiliates and Paramount+ each saw viewership rise by more than 18 per cent, contributing 0.5 and 0.2 share points respectively.

Netflix also delivered a solid month, with viewing rising 10 per cent compared to October. This translated into an additional 0.3 share points, taking the streaming giant’s total share of television usage to 8.3 per cent. Popular titles played a significant role in the growth, with Stranger Things alone accounting for nearly 12 billion viewing minutes during the month.

‘The Beast in Me’ and Guillermo del Toro’s reimagined ‘Frankenstein’ together added close to 7 billion viewing minutes.

Hallmark posted the sharpest percentage increase in November, with viewing surging 28 per cent, the highest among all distributors. The boost was largely driven by festive programming and the original series ‘Mistletoe Murders’. The increase added 0.2 share points, taking Hallmark to a 1.2 per cent share of total television watch-time.

At the top of the rankings, YouTube and Disney retained their No. 1 and No. 2 positions with shares of 12.9 per cent and 10.5 per cent, respectively. YouTube’s share remained unchanged from October, while Disney saw a decline of 0.9 share points. Nielsen attributed Disney’s dip primarily to lower viewing for ABC affiliates and ESPN, linked to the YouTube TV carriage interruption during the month.

NBCUniversal recorded a 7 per cent increase in total viewing, reaching an 8.8 per cent share of television usage, its highest level since October 2024. The growth was fuelled by a 22 per cent jump in Peacock streaming, supported by NFL Sunday Night Football, Thanksgiving Day programming and the drama series ‘All Her Fault’. Peacock achieved a non-Olympic monthly high of 1.9 per cent of total TV viewing, as reflected in Nielsen’s The Gauge.