Nielsen has expanded its monthly measurement reports for broadcast, cable and streaming with the launch of the Ad-Supported Gauge.
The new insights, which are being released on a quarterly basis and launched ahead of media giants’ upfront presentations, reveal that 72.4% of total TV viewing was on ad-supported platforms in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 27.6% for ad-free platforms.
Cable and broadcast made up roughly 28.9% and 28.7% of ad-supported viewing, respectively, while streaming accounted for the remaining 42.4%. Though the new report does not currently break out the streaming category by platform, Nielsen plans to do so at a later date.
“Every day our clients use our data to make informed decisions about their business. As we head into the Upfront, this ad-supported layer to our industry-defining Gauge report provides deeper levels of analysis to help guide advertising strategies,” Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao said in a Thursday statement.
In addition to its new Ad-Supported Gauge, Nielsen is launching a new capability that will allow buyers and sellers to track connected TV ad spend across all major streaming platforms alongside linear TV and digital.
At launch, it will cover 41 streaming platforms representing measurement for more than 95% of the U.S. connected TV market, including all major streaming apps.
The firm also struck new audience and cross-platform measurement agreements with GroupM, Vayner Media and Ocean Media.
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