Another Netflix Milestone, Leapfrogging NBCU In Nielsen Distributor Rankings

Following a Q2 earnings announcement that topped expectations and growth in viewing in June, Netflix now ranks No. 3 among television companies, according to distributor rankings published by Nielsen.

June marks the first time that Netflix has been ranked third and now tops broadcast network owners NBCUniversal, Paramount Global (CBS) and Fox.

Netflix now trails only YouTube and The Walt Disney Co. in Nielsen’s rankings. 

YouTube also had a big month in June, and now enjoys its biggest lead ever over No. 2 Disney.

Streamers found success in June as school let out, and younger viewers spent more time on YouTube and Netflix. Time spent watching streaming content was up 5% in June, compared to May. 

Streaming also got a boost as less sports programming and fewer original series appeared on the broadcast networks.

Despite dipping to fourth place, NBCU posted a small increase in total viewership in June. Reality-dating series Love Island USA generated 4.4 billion minutes of viewing on Peacock. Peacock viewing was up 13.4% in the month.

News was a bright spot for cable programmers in June, according to Nielsen. Viewing for CNN was up 27%, Fox News gained 9% and MSNBC increased 8%.

Speaking of Netflix, a new report from Ampere Analytics found that Netflix puts about four ads per hour in its original shows, 12% more than it puts in acquired programming. That’s good for Netflix because it has so many original shows.

Ampere says that makes Netflix only one of two streaming services that puts more ads in its originals, with the other being Amazon Prime Video, which has the most licensed TV titles. Amazon puts more than 11 ads per hour in its original shows.

“Netflix, despite avoiding advertising for as long as it could, likely wants its minimal ad load to be seen by the most viewers, and its originals are watched a lot,” Ampere’s Andrew Dougert said.

Netflix and Prime Video had the lowest ad loads among the big streamers with ad tiers, according to Ampere Analytics. Paramount had the most, with about 24 ads per hour in its acquired programming, 7% more than in its originals,

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In this year’s upfront, advertisers want sports, sports and more sports.

On Monday, Fox declared that it had completed its upfront deals. And like NBCU before it, sports was a big component for Fox. Without including the World Cup, Fox generated more than $2 billion in sports upfront sales, a record level and up double digits from the previous upfront, according to sources familiar with the situation. 

Fox also saw double-digit increases for its news properties and had a 35% volume gain at its Tubi streamer. 

At Fox Entertainment, sellout levels increased and prices increased. Fox saw pricing growth across all of its properties, and big volume increase from marketers in the consumer packaged goods, pharma and financial categories.

“The Fox portfolio of industry leading Sports, News and Entertainment content delivered double-digit revenue growth in the Upfront for the second year in a row,” Jeff Collins, President, Advertising Sales, Marketing and Brand Partnerships for Fox Corp., said in a statement.

“Unprecedented audience growth across the Fox portfolio has driven better outcomes for our trusted client partners.  We thank them for their continued commitment and remain dedicated to making every second of their investment with us count,” Collins said.

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LinkedIn’s Connected TV Ads has been integrated into Innovid’s Social Ads Manager, which will enable marketers to target professional audiences via CTV.

“We’re helping advertisers extend the precision of social targeting into a high-impact, brand-safe environment,” said Zak Knudson, senior VP, Product, Innovid. “It’s a major step forward for omnichannel advertising, especially for B2B brands looking to engage decision-makers with relevant messaging on every screen.”

Innovid’s integration allows clients to activate and optimize LinkedIn’s CTV Ads alongside campaigns running across social, digital, and CTV channels—all from a single platform. This unified workflow simplifies execution, improves efficiency, and ensures consistent storytelling and centralized reporting, the company said.