As school lets out for kids across the U.S., it’s typical to see a significant bump in TV usage among those aged 6-17. This June was no exception, as we saw in the most recent Nielsen’s The Gauge release.
Compared to May, June saw a 27% increase in impressions among kids 6-17 in the U.S. across all sources, and though the rising tide lifted all boats, it was the “Other” category that saw the biggest bump on a percentage basis (41%). A significant contributor to that lift was game console usage, which itself was up 32% month-over-month. Beyond console usage, the category also includes streaming via cable set top box and security camera hookups from the home.
But while the Other category may have seen the biggest number on a percentage basis, streaming is a much bigger chunk of kids’ TV diet—the biggest, in fact. Streaming was up 25% in June, and we decided to take a closer look at what these young viewers were spending time with in the streaming world.
Coming out on top among 6-17 year-olds was Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia, which released its long-awaited third season on June 5th. Importantly, it was the teen (12-17) portion of that age range that really drove the viewing for the dramedy, accounting for 74% of its 1.4 billion minute total. Younger viewers, on the other hand, helped give Bluey the number two spot across the full 6-17 span. Notably, Ginny & Georgia was also the number one show among adults 18+ in June.
Another Netflix title, Stranger Things, got an immediate boost after the streamer announced its release plans for the fifth and final season. It ranked eighth overall among 6-17 year-olds, with teens contributing 77% of its minutes. But it was Peacock’s Love Island (ninth among 6-17s and fourth among teens) that had the biggest contribution from the elder half of the school-age group, at 90%. Considering teens are among the lightest TV viewers, the fact that Love Island is a social media sensation likely had a serious impact here.
Young Sheldon on Max and Netflix was the only other non-animated property to make the top 10, with younger viewers driving more of the viewing. Kids 12-17 made up around 47% of viewing for the show.
Shifting to animation, one has to marvel at the staying power of Spongebob Squarepants, a show that is now 26 years old but consistently ranks high among kids and adults alike thanks to Paramount+ (for proof, look no further than our analysis of Dads’ viewing habits). It was the fourth most-streamed show in June among kids 6-17 with over 800 million viewing minutes, and also made the top 20 among adults 18+. And, the series’ 16th season only premiered at the very end of June, so we can expect even more watch time throughout the summer.
In addition to Bluey, Disney has two other shows make the top 10 among school-aged kids 6-17, starting with the recently revived Phineas & Ferb. Only a handful of new episodes came out in June, but it was a big enough boost to get the show to number five with 748 million minutes. The other entry was The Amazing World of Gumball (ranked sixth with 626 million minutes), which was originally a Cartoon Network property, but was licensed by Hulu a few years ago. Now, the streamer is queuing up a continuation series—dubbed The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball—which will debut at the end of this month. That may well have had something to do with the show’s resurgence in June.
Rounding out the top 10 was a property with roots that go even farther back than Spongebob: Alvin! and the Chimpmunks (466 million minutes). This particular iteration is a French production that started back in 2015, but the show is currently available on Netflix and The Roku Channel. Perhaps the idea of young music groups making it big has taken on a new significance in an age where TikTok is the go-to source for emerging talent.
For more information on streaming trends in the U.S., check out our weekly Streaming Top 10 lists and learn more about Nielsen’s streaming measurement solutions.
