‘Bridgerton’ Boosts Netflix On Nielsen’s June Chart Of Media Distributors, But Disney Remains On Top

Netflix, propelled by the stretch run of Bridgerton‘s third season, posted the biggest growth of any company on Nielsen‘s June ranking of media distributors across streaming and linear TV.

Overall viewing of Netflix climbed 11.8% in June, the biggest uptick of any company, according to the latest edition of the Media Distributor Gauge report. The monthly snapshot has been provided by the measurement firm since April. (See the full June chart below.)

Disney retained the top spot, drawing 10.8% of total TV usage. While the conclusion of the NBA season on ESPN and ABC proved a strong draw, viewership of Disney+ also rose 15% over the prior month, Nielsen noted. At 8.4%, Netflix finished fourth, though it added nearly a full point over its May share. It trailed Disney, YouTube (9.9%) and NBCUniversal (8.5%).

As the main Gauge report earlier this month indicated, more than 40% of time spent watching TV in June was attributable to streaming, which benefited pure-play streamers like Netflix and YouTube.

The traditional wind-down of original dramas on broadcast networks, along with the end of major sports apart from baseball, benefited cable networks like A&E, AMC and Hallmark. Nielsen said the outlets “helped fill the gaps” during the month, posting by increases in viewing across cable’s feature film and drama genres. While the networks are small compared to the top distributors, their share rose between 6% and 11% during the month.

The Gauge designated as the June report actually reflects overall TV viewing in the U.S. from May 27 through June 30.

Here is the full chart: