Despite a dramatic global shift away from traditional screens, from the staggering 1.8 trillion hours Indians watched TV last year to the 10% surge in U.S. sports viewership, television's grip on our culture and advertisers remains powerful, even as its foundation is being radically rewired by streaming.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, US television viewership averaged 3.8 hours per day per person aged 2+, down 2.5% from 2022
- UK linear TV viewing reached 2 hours 52 minutes per day in Q1 2024 for individuals 4+, a 10% YoY decline
- Global TV ad spend projected at $184.7 billion in 2024, with 52% from traditional TV
- In the US, 18-49 demo TV viewing time was 2 hours 12 minutes daily in 2022
- Women aged 25-54 in US watched 25% more TV than men in 2023, averaging 4.2 hours daily
- US Gen Z (18-24) TV usage dropped to 1.7 hours per day in 2023 from 2.1 in 2019
- Traditional TV households in US fell from 90% in 2015 to 65% in 2023
- Streaming-only US homes rose to 41% in 2023 from 20% in 2019
- US pay-TV subscribers lost 6.5 million in 2023, total 65 million
- Super Bowl LVII drew 115.1 million US viewers in 2023, highest ever
- Oscars 2023 telecast averaged 18.7 million US viewers, up 12% YoY
- FIFA World Cup Final 2022 peaked at 43 million US viewers
Television viewership continues its global decline, yet major sports and live events remain strong.
Cord-Cutting Trends
1Traditional TV households in US fell from 90% in 2015 to 65% in 2023
Verified2Streaming-only US homes rose to 41% in 2023 from 20% in 2019
Verified3US pay-TV subscribers lost 6.5 million in 2023, total 65 million
Verified4FAST services reached 43% US adoption in 2023
Directional5US vMVPD subs (YouTube TV etc.) hit 14 million in 2023, up 20%
Single source6Cable/sat TV share of US viewing dropped to 27% in 2023 from 80% in 2010
Verified757 million US 'cord-nevers' existed in 2023, never had pay-TV
Verified8Broadband-only US homes up to 52% in 2023
Verified9US linear TV ad revenue down 12% to $52B in 2023
Directional10CTV/FAST hours in US grew 25% to 1.2 trillion in 2023
Single source1182% US cord-cutters cited cost savings as reason in 2023 survey
Verified12US hybrid homes (pay-TV + streaming) 38% in 2023
Verified13Regional sports networks lost 5 million US subs since 2019 to 2023
Verified14AVOD platforms like Tubi reached 77 million US MAUs in 2023
Directional15US pay-TV churn rate hit 2.8% monthly in 2023
Single source16Streaming capture rate in US 38.8% of TV time in 2023
Verified1725% US adults cut cord in past year per 2023 survey
Verified18US rural cord-cutting slower at 15% vs 30% urban 2023-2023
Verified19Netflix SVOD share of streaming 22% in US 2023
Directional20US multichannel video market down to $90B revenue 2023
Single source21Hulu + Live TV subs doubled to 4.1M in US 2023
VerifiedCord-Cutting Trends Interpretation
The traditional cable bundle is getting ghosted with the speed of a buffering symbol, as America, tired of paying for channels it never watches, has collectively declared 'it's not you, it's your price' and moved into a sprawling, ad-supported streaming neighborhood that offers both infinite choice and perpetual indecision.
Demographics
1In the US, 18-49 demo TV viewing time was 2 hours 12 minutes daily in 2022
Verified2Women aged 25-54 in US watched 25% more TV than men in 2023, averaging 4.2 hours daily
Verified3US Gen Z (18-24) TV usage dropped to 1.7 hours per day in 2023 from 2.1 in 2019
Verified4Households with children under 12 watched 15% more TV in US 2023
Directional5US Black/African American viewers averaged 5.1 hours daily TV in 2023, highest demo
Single source6Seniors 65+ in US TV time 7.2 hours daily in 2023
Verified7US Hispanic viewers 18-34 watched 2.8 hours TV daily in 2023
Verified8Rural US households TV penetration 92% vs 85% urban in 2023
Verified9US college-educated viewers under 35 cut TV by 30% since 2015
Directional10Baby Boomers (55-73) accounted for 42% of US TV viewing hours in 2023
Single source11US income >$100k households TV time 3.1 hours vs 4.5 low-income in 2023
Verified12LGBTQ+ viewers in US watched 20% more streaming-inclusive TV in 2023
Verified13US men 18-49 sports TV 2.5 hours weekly more than women
Verified14Asian American US TV usage 3.4 hours daily, up 5% YoY 2023
Directional15Single-person US households watched 28% more TV in 2023
Single source16US veterans TV viewing 5.8 hours daily, highest among groups 2023
Verified17Parents with teens (13-17) TV co-viewing up 12% in 2023 US
Verified18US disabled adults TV time 6.1 hours daily vs 3.9 non-disabled 2023
Verified19Gamers aged 18-34 in US TV 1.9 hours, down 15% since 2020
Directional20US married couples TV 3.9 hours daily vs 4.6 singles 2023
Single source21Homeowners vs renters US TV gap widened to 1.2 hours daily 2023
Verified22US pet owners watched 4.1 hours TV daily, 8% more than non-owners 2023
Verified23College students US TV 1.4 hours daily, lowest adult group 2023
Verified24US blue-collar workers TV 4.7 hours vs 2.9 white-collar 2023
Directional25Religious US households TV 4.3 hours daily vs 3.5 secular 2023
Single source26US immigrants 1st gen TV 4.9 hours, highest 2023
Verified27Fitness enthusiasts US TV down 22% to 2.3 hours 2023
Verified28US music fans TV viewing 3.2 hours daily 2023
Verified29Remote workers US TV up 18% to 4.2 hours since 2020
DirectionalDemographics Interpretation
While Gen Z scrolls and college grads flee, the great American television divide endures, with seniors and veterans holding the remote in a marathon of viewing that starkly outlines our days by age, income, and life circumstance.
Major Events
1Super Bowl LVII drew 115.1 million US viewers in 2023, highest ever
Verified2Oscars 2023 telecast averaged 18.7 million US viewers, up 12% YoY
Verified3FIFA World Cup Final 2022 peaked at 43 million US viewers
Verified4NBA Finals Game 5 2023: 13.5 million US viewers
Directional5WrestleMania 39 Night 2: 10.9 million US viewers 2023
Single source6Grammy Awards 2023: 16.8 million US viewers
Verified7NCAA March Madness Final Four 2023 averaged 15M US viewers
Verified8Emmys 2023: 4.3 million US viewers, lowest non-COVID
Verified9CMA Awards 2023: 8.5 million US viewers
Directional10Tony Awards 2023: 4.8 million US viewers
Single source11VMAs 2023: 1.2 million US viewers, MTV lowest
Verified12Golden Globes 2023: 6.3 million US viewers post-scandal
Verified13MTV Movie & TV Awards 2023 canceled due to strikes, prior 2022: 0.59M
Verified14SAG Awards 2023: 1.8 million US viewers
Directional15Billboard Music Awards 2023: 3.1 million viewers
Single source16People's Choice Awards 2023: 2.4 million US viewers
Verified17iHeartRadio Awards 2023: 2.9 million viewers
Verified18American Music Awards last 2022: 2.2 million, no 2023
Verified19Kennedy Center Honors 2023: 5.1 million viewers
Directional20Miss America 2023: 1.6 million viewers
Single source21State of the Union 2023: 27.3 million US viewers
Verified22VP Debate 2023: 71 million US viewers
Verified23Republican Debate Aug 2023: 13 million viewers
Verified24Democratic Debate Sep 2023: 10 million viewers
Directional25World Series Game 5 2023: 12.5 million US viewers
Single source26Stanley Cup Final Game 5 2023: 7.8 million viewers
Verified27US Open Tennis Final 2023: 1.9 million viewers
VerifiedMajor Events Interpretation
The Super Bowl is a national holiday, a Vice Presidential debate is a partisan battle royale, and everything else is just us scrolling for something better to watch.
US Viewership Trends
1In 2023, US television viewership averaged 3.8 hours per day per person aged 2+, down 2.5% from 2022
Verified2UK linear TV viewing reached 2 hours 52 minutes per day in Q1 2024 for individuals 4+, a 10% YoY decline
Verified3Global TV ad spend projected at $184.7 billion in 2024, with 52% from traditional TV
Verified4US pay-TV households dropped to 66.1 million in 2023 from 76.7 million in 2019
Directional5Average daily TV time in US for 18-34 year olds was 2.1 hours in 2023
Single source6India's TV viewership hit 1.8 trillion hours in 2023, led by Hindi GEC channels
Verified7US total-day viewership for broadcast networks fell 8% in 2023 to 20.4 million adults 18-49
Verified8Cable TV viewership in US averaged 28.2 hours per month per subscriber in Q4 2023
Verified9Japan TV viewing time averaged 3 hours 18 minutes daily in 2023 for all ages
Directional10US primetime viewership L+7 was 42.3 million in 2023, down 7% YoY
Single source11Brazil TV audience share for Globo was 26.8% in 2023
Verified12US sports TV viewership grew 10% in 2023 to 52 billion hours
Verified13Australia free-to-air TV reached 82% household penetration in 2023
Verified14US late-night shows averaged 2.1 million viewers in 2023, down 20% from 2019
Directional15China CCTV-1 nightly news peaked at 120 million viewers in 2023
Single source16US daytime soap viewership fell to 2.3 million average in 2023
Verified17Germany TV usage averaged 217 minutes daily in 2023
Verified18US news TV primetime averaged 3.2 million viewers in 2023
Verified19France TF1 group share was 19.2% in 2023
Directional20US kids TV (2-11) averaged 1.8 hours daily in 2023
Single source21Mexico Televisa audience share 52% in 2023
Verified22US total TV usage hit 12 hours 42 minutes daily across persons 2+ in Q4 2023
Verified23Spain Antena 3 led with 13.4% share in 2023
Verified24US broadcast share of total viewing was 21% in 2023
Directional25Italy RAI1 average 15.2% share in 2023
Single source26US multicast networks grew 5% viewership in 2023 to 10% share
Verified27Canada English TV averaged 17 hours weekly per viewer in 2023
Verified28US Hispanic TV viewership up 3% to 28 hours monthly in 2023
Verified29South Korea KBS viewership 15.8% share in 2023
Directional30US total-day cable down 11% in adults 25-54 in 2023
Single sourceUS Viewership Trends Interpretation
The glowing rectangle in your pocket may be winning, but television globally is still a multibillion-dollar empire stubbornly refusing to be canceled, as proven by over $96 billion in ads, a staggering 1.8 trillion hours of Indian soaps, and the unshakable grip of sports.
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