Nielsen’s latest global audience report reveals an increasingly fragmented and competitive video landscape where digital platforms, mobile consumption, and local content are reshaping the global media business. Drawing insights from nearly 40 countries, the 2025 analysis details how the balance of power is shifting between traditional television and digital video across markets, while highlighting key consumption patterns and strategic implications for media owners, platforms, and advertisers.
One of the central takeaways is the wide variation in platform dominance. In mature streaming markets like the U.S., U.K., and Australia, digital video now accounts for over 30% of total video viewing, whereas in Japan and Italy, traditional TV still commands over 70% of audience time. This contrast underscores how infrastructure, audience demographics, and cultural habits influence the pace of digital adoption—and why localized content and monetization strategies remain crucial. In markets like India and the Philippines, where mobile is dominant, over 60% of digital viewing now occurs on smartphones, highlighting how platform-specific behaviors are dictating everything from ad formats to content length.
There are differences in content consumption patterns when looking at how digital platforms are adopted compared to the continued use of traditional TV in various countries and regions. The shift to streaming services is progressing at uneven rates around the world. Consider the U.S. and Poland as examples—in Poland, conventional television formats continue to hold sway, with cable commanding 33.2% of viewership while streaming accounted for only 8.2% of total viewing time in the first half of last year, suggesting a strong attachment to traditional broadcasting methods in the Polish market. On the other hand, the U.S. presents a more advanced picture of streaming adoption. Here, streaming platforms led with 38.3% of total TV viewing time during the same time period, surpassing cable at 28.1%—meaning American viewers are more inclined to engage with content on their own terms, favoring the flexibility and variety offered by streaming platforms over the structured programming of traditional cable TV.
A striking insight from the report is the nature of content that drives the most engagement. Despite the global buzz around major streaming originals, Nielsen shows that the bulk of video consumption—across both linear and digital—is fueled by traditional formats. On average, viewers globally spend 80% of their time with non-premium content such as news, talk shows, local entertainment, reality TV, and unscripted formats. This finding has significant commercial implications: while premium content often drives subscription and branding, the day-to-day engagement that keeps platforms sticky comes from habitual, cost-efficient formats.
When brands understand which types of media are popular in different countries, they can reach more potential customers and get better results from their marketing efforts. This understanding is especially valuable in the diverse media landscape where both traditional and digital platforms play significant roles. When we look at Asian countries, television is important but its usage varies. For example, Singapore reports 67% of people using television, while the Philippines shows a higher rate at 72%. South Korea has an even higher television usage rate of 94%. Internet adoption is high throughout the region. Singapore and the Philippines have similar levels, with 91% and 90% of people using the internet, respectively. Taiwan and South Korea have even higher internet usage, both at 98%.
The data suggests that consumers in these markets are not exclusively committed to one form of media but rather engage with both traditional and digital platforms in their daily lives. When various media types coexist, it enables a multi-channel approach to audience engagement. Brands can leverage the strengths of both traditional and digital media, crafting strategies that would enable them to create comprehensive marketing campaigns that can resonate with diverse audience segments, maximizing their reach and potential impact.
In contrast, streaming platforms remain the go-to for premium, on-demand content, including scripted dramas and movies. However, Nielsen notes that the line between linear and digital is blurring as major streaming players begin experimenting with ad-supported tiers, live content, and localized programming to boost engagement and retention.
Nielsen also identifies significant differences in genre preferences by region. In Brazil and Mexico, telenovelas and reality competition formats still dominate. In Japan, news programming takes the lead in daily viewership, while in the U.S., sports and true crime remain the highest-performing genres across both linear and digital. Global hits may make headlines, but regionally tailored content continues to build the most loyal audiences.
The report emphasizes that traditional TV remains essential in markets with older populations, while digital platforms are now the preferred medium among Gen Z and millennials, who engage across multiple screens and prefer shorter, mobile-first formats. This duality creates challenges and opportunities for media owners looking to expand reach while optimizing frequency across platforms.
Critically, Nielsen stresses the growing need for advanced, cross-platform measurement tools. As consumption shifts across screens, advertisers and broadcasters are demanding unified audience insights that span TV, digital, mobile, and social. Without these capabilities, it becomes increasingly difficult to assess reach, attribution, and return on investment in an increasingly complex media environment.
As streaming matures and consumer behavior diversifies, Nielsen’s report concludes that global media players must balance innovation in premium content with investment in scalable, local, and habitual formats. The ability to capture nuanced audience insights across platforms will be a defining factor in who wins the next phase of the global content race.