Topline
The release of the first four episodes of the latest season of Netflix hit “Bridgerton” made the show the most-viewed title across all of streaming in the month of May, newly released Nielsen data revealed Tuesday, though long-running sitcom “Young Sheldon” managed to score more viewers in the month across streaming and broadcast television combined.
Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan's in "Bridgerton."
Key Facts
Netflix dropped four, hour-long episodes of “Bridgerton” on May 16, and the new episodes, plus the binge-watching of older seasons, combined for 5.5 billion viewing minutes, making the show the most-streamed of May (Nielsen does not breakdown its streaming data by season, so viewership of 20 available episodes are included in the count).
Viewership for the third season of the show in May was on par with its last installment, "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," which was the most viewed streaming show in May of 2023 with 5.4 billion viewing minutes.
The only show that topped Netflix’s “Bridgerton” dominance was “Young Sheldon,” an uber-successful sitcom from CBS that released its series finale on May 16.
Almost 12 million people tuned into the "Young Sheldon" finale live on CBS, which when combined with cable reruns and streaming on Paramount+, Netflix and Max, contributed to a total of 6 billion viewing minutes for the show across all platforms.
"Young Sheldon" viewership was split almost exactly in half between linear and streaming views last month, Nielsen said.
On linear television, the Kentucky Derby was the most-watched broadcast program of the month for the second year in a row, drawing almost 1 million more viewers than in 2023 for a total of 16 million for the 150th rendition of the race.
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"Young Sheldon" aired its series finale May 16, 2024.
What To Watch For
If “Bridgerton” does it again. Netflix released the final four episodes of the show on June 13, but it’s unclear if four new episodes released so soon after the season’s first part will spur the same binge watching of previous seasons that helped push the show to the top of May’s streaming charts.
Big Number
38.8%. That's how much of all TV usage in May was spent on streaming viewership, Nielsen said, a record high. Streaming use is up 8% year over year, with YouTube continuing its run as the top streaming platform. The next-highest use of TV was cable viewing (28.2%), followed by broadcast (22.3%) and "other" with 10.8%.
Key Background
"Bridgerton" is based on the book series of the same name and was the first Netflix scripted show from Shondaland, the production company owned by famed show creator Shonda Rhimes. The show, and its spin off “Queen Charlotte,” has broken records for Netflix and streaming since its first season released in 2021. The series is set in an alternative Regency-era London and follows members of the high-ranking Bridgerton family as they search for love.
