Fewer people are watching regular TV because of — you guessed it – Netflix
In the ongoing war between TV and online streaming services, Netflix just won another battle.
According to Business Insider, analyst Michael Nathanson‘s most recent study demonstrates that there was a 3% drop in TV viewing during 2015. Why? Well, Netflix accounts for about half (1.5%) of that decrease, which probably has something to do with the 20 billion hours of video that was streamed by Netflix subscribers in 2015.
Major TV networks such as ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox are experiencing the brunt of this decrease, especially in homes that have Netflix. Perfect example: in Netflix homes, CBS’ viewership went down 42%, ABC’s deflated by 32%, and NBC encountered a 27% drop. What’s most interesting is that channels like MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and VH1 (all part of the Viacom network) only saw a 5% reduction in homes with the ability to binge-watch.
On the other hand, these familiar names actually saw an increase: Disney (up 11%), HBO, TNT, Food Network, the Cooking Channel, TLC, and Animal Planet. This led Nathanson to surmise that younger viewers are using both their TV sets and Netflix (because Disney).
Though Netflix is doing a great job at drawing us all in, many networks are not willing to make the switch. NBC ratings executive Alan Wurtzel, for instance, told Business Insider, “I don’t believe there’s enough stuff on Netflix that is broad enough and is consistent enough to affect us in a meaningful way on a regular basis.” HMMMMM.
Despite these predictions, only time will tell if Netflix wins the war against regular TV.
