According to Luminate’s newly released 2025 year-end film and television report, Love Island USA claimed the top spot as the most-watched streaming original TV season of the year. The Peacock reality series delivered a standout performance, posting a massive 150% increase in viewership compared to the previous year. The achievement marks a significant milestone, as it is the first unscripted program to lead Luminate’s annual streaming rankings.
While Netflix continued to dominate the overall streaming landscape with six of the top 10 original series, its share of U.S. viewing time slipped below 60%. Competing platforms made noticeable gains, including HBO Max, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. Several titles from these services helped drive the shift, highlighting how competition among streamers continues to reshape viewing habits and audience loyalty.
The report also points to a broader change in how audiences consume television. Weekly episode releases are proving more effective for retaining viewers, with six of the top 10 highest-retention scripted shows rolling out episodes over time rather than all at once. Overall TV consumption continued to rise, with total viewing hours for original series climbing 18% year over year, surpassing 20 billion hours watched in 2025.
Despite higher engagement, the number of new TV premieres declined across the industry. U.S.-produced premieres fell by 11%, with broadcast television experiencing the steepest drop. Streaming platforms collectively released fewer new series as well, though Netflix still led the field in total premieres. Production challenges were especially evident in the U.S., where Los Angeles saw a sharp decline in film and TV projects, while Canada experienced a notable increase.
Luminate’s findings also reveal a significant slowdown in unscripted production, which fell by more than 30%, with sports content being the lone area to avoid major losses. Internationally, South Korea remained the leading source of global series for streamers, followed by the U.K. and India. Overall, the report paints a picture of an industry moving away from rapid expansion and toward a more measured, data-driven focus on audience retention and sustainable growth.
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