The third quarter of 2025 was a watershed moment for the TV landscape and one that seems to fully and finally seal the deal in consumer’s transition to a digital-first, high-loyalty viewing environment.
The latest data from our Q3 2025 Market Trends report reveals that viewers aren't just cutting the cord – they are also deeply consolidating their viewing habits around a smaller, trusted set of streaming apps
Here are the three key shifts that defined the quarter:
- Streaming Dominance Accelerates: Streaming hit a 59.4% share of viewing time, with a record 36.3% of TVs streaming exclusively, while linear-only viewing dropped to a new low of 8.5%.
- Loyalty Centers on "Anchor Apps": Consistently used "anchor apps" now drive 80.4% of all app viewing time, confirming that sustained user retention is the key measure of platform success in a consolidating market.
- Sports Viewership Shifts to Digital: Despite the post-Olympics drop, the NFL and MLB saw notable viewing time increases (0.5 and 0.7 hours per week, respectively), with growth fueled entirely by streaming and vMVPD platforms.
The Inscape TV Market Trends Q3 2025 Report was generated using smart TV data from Incape’s panel of over 25 million opted-in devices* from July to September of 2025.
*active within the past 365 days
