Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
6h ago

2025 Streaming Was Ruled by Returning Series as Free Platforms Surged

Bloomberg’s read of Nielsen’s top-10 minutes identifies a shift toward catalog hits.

A stock image of a man watching a show on a laptop.
A stock image of a woman having popcorn while watching a movie on a laptop on a couch.
A man is holding a remote control of a smart TV in his hand. In the background you can see the television screen with streaming entertainment apps for video on demand

Overview

  • In 2025, every top original was a returning series led by Squid Game (18.6 billion minutes), Wednesday (16.4 billion), and Love Island (11.4 billion), with several of the year’s biggest series ending their runs.
  • Bluey was the most-watched show of 2025 with 39.3 billion minutes, followed by Grey’s Anatomy with 30.3 billion.
  • Across 2020–2025 cumulative viewing, legacy titles dominate: NCIS (151.4 billion minutes), Grey’s Anatomy (148.8 billion), and Bluey (137.7 billion).
  • Ozark ranks as the decade’s most-watched original so far with 55.3 billion minutes of view time.
  • Free, ad-supported platforms are expanding fastest, with YouTube now the largest service, while Netflix still accounts for about two-thirds of top originals and more than half of top films since 2020.