Paramount Surpasses Netflix in Nielsen’s April TV Rankings Thanks to ‘Tracker’

Each month, Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge provides a clear insight into how American audiences are allocating their television viewing time across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. This tool reflects total viewing by media distributor across all categories, offering the industry a comprehensive view of viewer engagement. The results released on June 25 for April reveal some surprises, including a standout moment that is sure to spark conversations across the industry.

YouTube continues to dominate the rankings, gaining 0.2 percentage points to achieve a 13.4% share of total TV viewing. The platform’s stronghold at the top has become a notable trend, as the Google-owned service consistently outperforms every traditional media company by a significant margin. Disney follows in second place with a 10.3% share, while NBCUniversal and Versant together secure third with 8.2%.

The noteworthy figures come from positions four and five, where Paramount ended April with a 7.9% share of total TV viewing, narrowly surpassing Netflix at 7.8%. This close margin carries significant symbolic weight for a company that spans from its legacy broadcast through CBS to its Paramount+ streaming service.

Paramount’s success was no fluke. The final round of the Masters Tournament aired on CBS, dominating the month’s broadcast telecasts, while ‘Tracker’ and ‘Marshals’ emerged as the leading broadcast dramas, capturing 28% of the genre’s viewership. On the streaming front, Paramount’s properties accounted for a 2.1% share of TV viewership for the month. This blend of live sports, major drama, and on-demand content exemplifies the multi-platform strength Paramount has been cultivating.

Streaming held steady at a 47.6% share of TV viewing in April, while cable saw a 0.2 share point increase to 21.6%, marking its largest share in six months, largely due to sports events like the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on TBS, TNT, and TruTV. Broadcast accounted for 19.9% of viewing during the month. This data illustrates a television landscape that remains genuinely fragmented rather than one where streaming has completely taken over.

Context is crucial here. In March, Paramount held an 8.1% share of total TV, bolstered by March Madness coverage and CBS dramas ‘Tracker’ and ‘The Marshals’. The slight decline from March to April is modest, but the consistency of Paramount’s performance over consecutive months highlights how its content slate has become a true ratings powerhouse. Earlier in the season, in November, Paramount recorded its highest share since April at 8.9%, driven by both its broadcast and streaming offerings.

Further down the April rankings, Fox finished at 6.9%, Warner Bros. Discovery at 6.1%, Amazon at 4.3%, and The Roku Channel at 3%. With Paramount consistently outperforming expectations and providing genuine competition to Netflix in the distributor rankings, the discussion surrounding who truly dominates American television viewing has never been more complex. Share your thoughts below on whether you believe Paramount can maintain this momentum once ‘Tracker’ and its other flagship shows conclude for the season.