By India McCarty
Most people see streaming and network TV as rivals, but new data from Nielsen shows that the two can work well in tandem.
“Initially, a 35-day window seemed an incredibly long time to measure data that’s meant to help advertisers understand how many people are seeing their commercials,” The Hollywood Reporter explained.
However, as streaming has taken over, “it turns out five weeks is not an overly long time to measure viewing,” the outlet stated, adding that streaming can even continue to bring in viewers long after an episode premieres on linear television.
The Long Tail: The Network Series That Keep Viewers Tuning in Days — and Weeks — Later https://t.co/5NAwsHVs25
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 17, 2025
Nielsen just released the 35-day numbers for the 2024-25 season and found that “for series that originate on broadcast or cable networks, five weeks of streaming can grow a show’s audience by 40 to 50 percent — and in a few outlier cases, practically double it — from its linear total over the same time frame.”
Network shows like HIGH POTENTIAL, MATLOCK, THE ROOKIE, SHIFTING GEARS, 9-1-1, GHOSTS and WILL TRENT earned millions of streaming views on episodes after their linear TV premieres, boosting their potential for renewal.
THR added that, on average, these shows gained around 1.94 million views from streaming alone and 2.27 million from linear delayed viewing (for example, recording an episode on DVR).
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“People are coming to these shows in all the places we have them,” Lisa Katz, president of scripted content for NBCUniversal, told Vulture. “Some might [watch] on linear or on DVRs, and some people might be seeking them out on Peacock. But it’s great to have the ability to have both and then the audience can find the shows where they are.”
This isn’t to say that companies are now fully focused on figuring out how to make streaming and traditional TV models work together.
In a 2024 earnings call, Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said, “I think we’re well-positioned if [consumers] decide to stay in linear for longer, and I think we’re well-positioned if they decide to move over to the streaming side.”
He explained that, in Disney’s 2025 fiscal year, the income generated from their streaming content is enough to “offset the parallel decline in operating income from linear TV.”
Streaming is still dominating the world of TV, but with these new figures from Nielsen, it’s clear that the success of a network television show can often depend on how well it does once it hits streaming.
Read Next: Broadcast TV Channels Attempt to Compete With Streaming, But Will They Succeed?
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