Apple has secured a top-five spot in the most-watched streaming series with its original programming for the first time, Bloomberg reports.
According to data from Nielsen, Apple TV+ claimed one of the five most-viewed original streaming titles in the United States during the first half of 2025. While Netflix maintained three of the top four positions and Amazon's Reacher performed strongly in second place, Apple emerged alongside those longstanding competitors for the first time with the second season of Severance.
Nielsen's rankings are based on total minutes viewed and represent U.S. audiences only, combining viewership across connected TVs and select devices. The most-watched shows in the United States in the first half of 2025 are as follows:
- Squid Game (Netflix), 15,074 million minutes
- Reacher (Prime Video), 13,313 million minutes
- The Night Agent (Netflix), 12,219 million minutes
- Ginny & Georgia (Netflix), 10,201 million minutes
- Severance (Apple TV+), 9,275 million minutes
- 1923 (Paramount+), 8,536 million minutes
- The Pitt (Max), 8,227 million minutes
- The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), 8,165 million minutes
- You (Netflix), 8,097 million minutes
- Landman (Paramount+), 7,826 million minutes
Apple's rise in the rankings coincides with a broader trend; Netflix's share of the most-watched streaming titles declined from more than 80% in 2021 to just under 50% in the first half of 2025. The figures reflect increasing competition from rivals such as Amazon, HBO, Hulu, Paramount+, and Apple TV+, all of which have placed shows in the top 10 so far this year. Disney+, by contrast, has not had a single original series appear in Nielsen's top 10 to date.
While Netflix remains the most consistent producer of hits overall, with a larger number of top-performing series than any other service, its share of total streaming viewership has plateaued. Nielsen reported that total streaming consumption in the U.S. grew by 6% year-over-year in the first half of 2025, but Netflix's share of that growth remained flat. Free ad-supported platforms, such as YouTube, Tubi, and the Roku Channel, are increasingly capturing viewers from traditional TV and paid subscription services alike.
Apple does not disclose subscriber figures for Apple TV+, but Ampere Analysis estimated in May that the service has surpassed 60 million paying users globally, with the strongest growth occurring in North America and Western Europe over the past 12 months. Apple has renewed Severance for a third season.
