Streaming Ratings Analysis: December 15-21, 2025
The latest Nielsen streaming ratings reveal intriguing insights for the week of December 15-21, 2025. During this period, the premiere of Fallout’s second season garnered an impressive 794 million viewing minutes on Prime Video. The season debuted on December 16, marking a significant drop from its first season’s opening week, which amassed 2.9 billion minutes in April 2024.
Streaming Ratings Overview: December 15-21, 2025
The difference in viewing statistics raises questions about the strategy employed by Prime Video for the latest season. While the first season was released in its entirety, the second season adopted a weekly release format. This season, only one episode aired on the premiere date, rather than the two to three episodes typically released for other series.
Impact of Release Strategy
Nielsen’s data suggests that the season two premiere accounted for approximately 54 percent of the total viewing minutes, translating to about 429 million minutes. Had more episodes been made available at launch, total viewing figures could have been significantly higher.
- Season Two Premiere Viewing: 794 million minutes
- Season One Premiere Viewing: 2.9 billion minutes
- Percentage of Viewing from Season Two: 54%
Top Streaming Titles of the Week
Despite the decline in Fallout’s ratings, Nielsen’s data shows that several other series maintained strong performance. Stranger Things retained the top spot with 2.38 billion viewing minutes, although it experienced a week-to-week drop of about 21 percent. This week was significant as it only featured the first half of the final season before the second half premiered on Christmas.
Other notable titles included:
- Paramount+’s Landman: 1.61 billion minutes (fifth consecutive week of growth)
- Emily in Paris: 831 million minutes (season five premiere)
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery: 1.1 billion minutes (second week at the top of movie charts)
Market Considerations
The Nielsen streaming ratings measure audience engagement on TV sets, excluding views from computers or mobile devices. Additionally, the ratings only reflect U.S. audiences, offering a limited view of broader viewer trends.
As the streaming landscape evolves, the response to different release strategies may have lasting implications for series like Fallout. The significant drop in minutes watched for its second season highlights the importance of timing and marketing in an increasingly competitive environment.
