TVB, the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry, analysed Nielsen’s May Gauge Report data with a focus on determining what is actually most impactful for advertisers: ad-supported viewing among adults ages 18+.

The analysis found that linear TV remains the dominant force in ad-supported viewing in the US.

The Facts – Nielsen’s Gauge Report vs Nielsen’s New Ad-Supported Gauge Report:

Growing confusion around streaming’s share of total TV viewing has resulted from Nielsen’s original Gauge Report, which by combining both ad-supported and ad-free viewing has led to misperceptions surrounding streaming’s share of total TV viewing suggests TVB. This broad approach is often misleading for advertisers, as many streaming viewers are not exposed to ads, making it almost impossible for advertisers to assess if their ads are being seen by targeted audiences.

In response to industry feedback, in May 2025, Nielsen released an additional Gauge Report focused exclusively on ad-supported platforms across both linear and streaming. However, this version of the Gauge Report will only be published quarterly and limited to persons in the 2+ demographic, with Q1 2025 marking the first release.

The May 2025 Gauge Report includes all viewing with and without ads for persons 2+, and shows that linear television represents 44 per cent of viewing, compared to streaming TV’s 45 per cent. Using Nielsen guidelines, TVB developed an ad-supported only Gauge pie for the month of May. Linear television’s portion of this ad-supported pie increased to 55 per cent of total ad-supported viewing, compared to streaming TV’s 45 per cent – underscoring the continued dominance of linear TV in ad-supported viewership.

Linear TV Remains Dominant Among Adults 18+:

While both Nielsen’s original Gauge Report, and the newly introduced ad-supported Gauge Report focus on persons 2+, TVB conducted its own analysis using Nielsen NPower’s Streaming Platform Ratings to isolate ad-supported viewing among adults 18+— a more relevant audience for local advertisers. When focusing on adults 18+, linear TV’s share increases to 59 per cent.

Linear TV is the Most Watched Long-Form Content:

Nielsen includes all AVoD platforms in its ad-supported category, including YouTube, which predominantly features short-form video. However, linear platforms offer long-form content, making the comparison uneven. TVB re-analysed the data to focus only on long-form, ad-supported content, excluding YouTube, and the results were striking as in this analysis, linear television accounts for 69 per cent of long-form ad-supported viewing among adults 18+.

Key Takeaways: Focus Matters

• Advertising Only Versus All Viewing: An advertising only Gauge pie for linear TV accounts for 55 per cent of ad-supported viewing among persons 2+, a significant increase from the original Gauge pie figure of 44 per cent.
• Adults 18+: Local advertisers are more focused on adults 18+ and the linear number for this demo rises to 59 per cent in an advertising only Gauge pie.
• Long Form Content Only: Linear television accounts for 69 per cent of long-form ad-supported viewing among adults 18+.

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Categories: Advertising, Articles, Broadcast, Consumer Behaviour, Research

Tags: advertising, linear, nielsen, TVB