Luminate, a data research company owned by PMC, released its year-end 2025 film and TV report, revealing some surprising trends in the industry. One of the standout findings was that Peacock’s “Love Island USA” was the most-watched streaming original TV season, experiencing a significant 150% year-over-year viewership growth. This marked the first time an unscripted series topped Luminate’s annual rankings, showcasing the popularity of reality TV content.
While Netflix continued to dominate the TV streaming landscape with six of the top 10 series in the overall rankings, its share of U.S. original content viewing time dropped below 60%. Competitors like HBO Max, Paramount+, and Amazon Prime Video saw gains, with key shows such as HBO Max’s “The Pitt,” Apple TV’s “Your Friends & Neighbors,” Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” and Paramount+’s “Landman” attracting viewers.
A shift from binge-watching to weekly releases was also observed, with six of the top 10 highest-retention scripted releases coming out on a weekly basis. Overall, people are watching more TV, as hours viewed for original series increased by 18% from 2024 to 2025, surpassing 20 billion hours.
However, despite the increase in viewership, the volume of TV premieres decreased in 2025 due to industry-wide contraction. U.S.-produced premieres were down 11%, with broadcast experiencing the steepest decline at 21% and cable down 10%. Streaming premieres also decreased collectively by 8%, with Netflix leading with 133 SVOD TV premieres.
In terms of local production, there was an 11% decrease in U.S.-produced TV premieres, with Los Angeles seeing a significant 26% drop in film and TV projects. On the contrary, Canada experienced a boost in projects from 67 in 2024 to 96 in 2025.
The report also highlighted a decline in unscripted production, with the genre experiencing a 31% decrease across streaming and linear platforms, excluding sports-related content. In international series, South Korea remained the top source for streamers, followed by the U.K. and India.
In the realm of streaming films, “Wicked” topped the list among U.S. streaming films in 2025, followed by Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters.” Overall, streaming film output continued to decline, with even Netflix scaling back its releases. Despite this, U.S. theatrical film releases saw an uptick in 2025, with 80 releases compared to 74 in 2024.
Overall, the industry is undergoing a shift towards a more data-driven approach to content creation and distribution. Luminate CEO Rob Jonas emphasized the importance of understanding the changing landscape and adapting to a new, stabilized reality in the entertainment industry. The full Luminate report provides valuable insights for industry professionals navigating this evolving landscape.
