Nielsen's final multiplatform ratings for the 2025-2026 television season confirm Netflix's commanding position in the streaming era. 'Stranger Things' claimed the top spot among non-sports programming with 32.9 million viewers across a 35-day measurement window, with the platform's 'His & Hers' and 'Sean Combs: The Reckoning' also placing in the top five. Paramount+ and traditional broadcast networks competed in the upper rankings, indicating television's continued fragmentation across multiple distribution platforms.

Traditional broadcast networks retained measurable audiences despite streaming's expansion. CBS performed strongest among broadcast-only shows, dominating the broadcast rankings with multiple entries including 'Marshals,' 'Tracker,' and 'Matlock.' Content creator Taylor Sheridan's portfolio spanned three top-ten positions across different platforms and networks, illustrating how individual producers can aggregate substantial viewership through diversified deals. The season's ratings reflect television's evolution from a single-platform medium into an ecosystem where streaming, traditional broadcast, and premium cable services coexist in audience competition.