Christmas Day in 2025 marked an extraordinary milestone for streaming services in the United States, shattering previous viewership records. This surge was primarily driven by the convergence of highly anticipated content, including three exclusive NFL games and the release of the concluding segment of 'Stranger Things' final season. These events collectively propelled streaming usage to unprecedented levels, signaling a significant shift in how audiences consume television content.
According to data released by Nielsen, American audiences spent an astounding 55.1 billion minutes engaged with streaming platforms on December 25th, 2025. This figure represents a substantial increase of 3.9 billion minutes compared to the previous record, which was set on Christmas Day in 2024. The data underscores the accelerating growth and expanding influence of streaming services in the entertainment industry. On this single day, streaming accounted for 54 percent of all television consumption, establishing a new peak for the sector.
This record-breaking Christmas Day, coupled with another high-usage day on December 13th where streaming accounted for over half of all TV usage, contributed to streaming's highest monthly penetration ever recorded in Nielsen's December Gauge report. For the period spanning December 1st to December 28th, streaming services captured 47.5 percent of total TV usage in the U.S. This surpassed the prior monthly high of 47.3 percent observed in July 2025. In contrast, traditional broadcast networks saw their share decline to 21.4 percent, a drop from 23.2 percent in November, while cable viewership also decreased to 20.2 percent.
A significant portion of this record-setting activity on Christmas Day was attributed to Netflix's afternoon NFL doubleheader and Prime Video's primetime game, alongside the new episodes of 'Stranger Things'. These offerings enabled Netflix and Prime Video to collectively command 22.5 percent of all television consumption on that day, representing nearly 42 percent of the total streaming volume. Both platforms also achieved their highest monthly viewership percentages within the Gauge report, with Netflix reaching 9 percent and Prime Video hitting 4.3 percent.
Beyond the major players, other streaming platforms also experienced notable growth. The Roku Channel reached a new high of 3 percent of total TV usage, while Paramount's streaming services, boosted by the success of 'Landman' on Paramount+, achieved 2.5 percent. 'Landman', starring Billy Bob Thornton, garnered an impressive 6.2 billion minutes of viewing throughout the month, making it the second most-watched streaming title, trailing only 'Stranger Things' which accumulated a massive 15 billion minutes of viewership.
The data from Christmas Day 2025 unequivocally highlights the growing dominance of streaming services within the American television landscape. Fueled by exclusive sporting events and popular original series, streaming has not only surpassed traditional broadcast and cable television in terms of audience engagement but continues to set new benchmarks for viewership and overall market share. This trend indicates a sustained shift in consumer habits towards on-demand digital content, solidifying streaming's position as the future of entertainment.