We’re over halfway through 2025, and Apple TV+ by all appearances is having its best year ever. But one of the most important metrics in streaming has just been revealed: the Nielsen top 10. Here’s the full list of the 10 biggest shows in streaming this year, and how Apple TV+ fared.
Nielsen reveals top 10 streaming shows of 2025 so far
Last night in his Screentime latest newsletter, Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw revealed the Nielsen top 10 shows of 2025 through the first half of the year.
Here’s the full list:
| Rank | Program | Platform | Millions of minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Squid Game | Netflix | 15,074 |
| 2 | Reacher | Prime Video | 13,313 |
| 3 | The Night Agent | Netflix | 12,219 |
| 4 | Ginny & Georgia | Netflix | 10,201 |
| 5 | Severance | Apple TV+ | 9,275 |
| 6 | 1923 | Paramount+ | 8,536 |
| 7 | The Pitt | Max | 8,227 |
| 8 | The Handmaid’s Tale | Hulu | 8,165 |
| 9 | You | Netflix | 8,097 |
| 10 | Landman | Paramount+ | 7,826 |
There is an important caveat that should be noted, which Shaw points out.
Two of the biggest hits this year in streaming have been The White Lotus and The Last of Us. But because those shows premiered on HBO’s linear network, they’re not counted by Nielsen as “streaming” shows—despite likely having their largest audience in streaming.
Severance ranks #5 among all streaming shows in 2025
Caveat aside, Severance’s presence at number 5 on the list affirms once more how big a hit it was for Apple TV+.
Various firms seek to rank streaming viewership in their own ways, but Nielsen is generally seen as one of the most accurate. And for Severance to rank so highly was a big challenge for one main reason: subscriber numbers.
Netflix and Prime Video have significantly more subscribers than Apple, which makes it easier for their shows to rack up viewing minutes. Since Apple TV+ has fewer overall subscribers, it’s significant for a show like Severance to do so well.
This also explains why no other Apple TV+ shows made the list. Despite series like The Studio and Your Friends & Neighbors seemingly having strong viewership, they couldn’t crack the top 10 when stacked against stiff competition from larger streamers.
Apple TV+ is available for $9.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, and Shrinking.
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