Nielsen’s November 2025 Media Distributor Gauge revealed a television landscape shaped by live sports, strategic streaming releases, and the Thanksgiving holiday, with Paramount and Netflix posting notable gains.
Paramount led the month’s growth, recording a 14% increase in overall viewing and securing its largest share of TV since April. The media company captured 8.9% of total watch-time, climbing to No. 3 in the Media Distributor rankings. Its 0.7-point gain was the largest among all distributors, driven equally by broadcast and streaming properties. CBS affiliates and Paramount+ each rose more than 18%, contributing 0.5 and 0.2 share points, respectively, to Paramount’s total.
Netflix also delivered a strong performance in November, posting a 10% gain and adding 0.3 share points to reach 8.3% of TV viewing. The streamer benefited from the return of its flagship series Stranger Things, which alone accounted for nearly 12 billion viewing minutes. Additional original content, including The Beast in Me and Guillermo del Toro’s reimagined Frankenstein film, contributed nearly 7 billion viewing minutes collectively, highlighting the impact of a deep and diverse content slate.
Hallmark recorded the month’s largest percentage increase via Nielsen, rising 28% in total viewing. Its holiday programming and original series Mistletoe Murders drove 0.2 additional share points, giving Hallmark 1.2% of total TV watch-time.
Despite these shifts, YouTube and Disney retained the top two spots, with 12.9% and 10.5% of total TV, respectively. YouTube’s share remained flat month-over-month, while Disney dropped 0.9 share points. The decline was linked to decreased viewership on ABC affiliates and ESPN due to a carriage dispute with YouTube TV.
NBCUniversal (NBCU) posted a 7% increase in overall viewing, achieving its highest total since October 2024 with 8.8% of TV share. Streaming on Peacock surged 22%, driven by NFL Sunday Night Football, Thanksgiving programming, and the original drama All Her Fault. Peacock reached a non-Olympic monthly record with 1.9% share of television.
FOX experienced uneven swings across its broadcast and cable networks. Broadcast affiliates rose 22%, led by the Thanksgiving Day NFL matchup between Green Bay and Detroit and World Series Games 4–7, with the final game ranking as the sixth most-watched telecast of November. However, cable networks were down, with Fox News Channel falling 9% and FS1 impacted by the absence of the MLB Postseason. Overall, FOX finished with a modest 2.4% gain but ceded 0.3 share points due to broader increases in total TV usage, finishing with 8.1% share.
The November 2025 reporting interval spanned five weeks, from October 27 through November 30, following Nielsen’s broadcast calendar with weekly intervals beginning on Monday.
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