The summer of 2025 delivered plenty of buzz — from Taylor Swift’s engagement announcement (gasp!) to the Coldplay kiss-cam controversy (cringe) to the growing Labubu obsession (cutely ominous).
But the story of the season is bigger than pop culture buzz alone. The Roku home screen reaches households with more than 125 million people across the U.S. every single day, giving unmatched visibility into what audiences watched this summer. Our platform data reveals the big shifts in audience behavior that advertisers rely on to inform strategy, stay relevant, and reach viewers at scale. Here we explore a few of the summer’s biggest moments and trends. For a deeper dive into all our streaming insights for the season, download the full Roku Recap: Summer Edition.
While the summer of ‘25 had many streaming obsessions, Love Island USA was the clear breakout. Driven by a wave of memes and social buzz that lasted all summer, Love Island was the most searched show on Roku in June and July, delivering Peacock a win on par with the streaming service’s surge during the 2024 Summer Olympics. Roku searches for “Love Island” were up 59%, and 87% of viewers were completely new to the franchise.
Roku’s top three trending shows of the summer:
Many shows in our top 10 were franchises, reboots, and long-running series that still command attention. South Park, now in its 27th season, sparked a fresh wave of interest thanks to over-the-top political satire and viral social media buzz. The nostalgic shows that did the best didn't just drive viewership; they commanded attention through memes and cultural buzz — which in turn drove more engagement.
Why it matters: Cultural momentum drives sustained viewing. Love Island shows that even casual content can evolve into a tentpole moment — one with a long shelf life and big brand opportunities.
Summer 2025 will be remembered as the season streaming officially surpassed linear TV usage, according to Nielsen.¹ And Roku reached a milestone of our own: Roku OS now accounts for 21.4% of all TV time in the U.S., overtaking all of broadcast TV.²
Meanwhile, Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD) also saw major growth, rising 29% year-over-year.
Why it matters: Streaming is the new “primetime,” complete with appointment viewing, scalable reach and measurable impact. With more usage than all broadcast TV combined, advertisers can now reach mass audiences with the precision and measurability that linear never offered.
Summer is typically a quieter season for sports with the powerhouse NFL taking its offseason break. But this year, marquee events like the NBA Finals Game 7 and MLB All-Star Game pulled in massive viewership — and Roku data captured the spikes. During the Finals, one in four visits to Roku Sports Zones went to the NBA Zone, a centralized hub for fans to easily find the content they wanted. Meanwhile, the MLB All-Star Game was the most-watched ever on Roku.
Why it matters: Sports viewership is increasingly fragmented — spread across many platforms and providers. As the NFL kicks off this fall, advertisers can look to streaming to unify sports fans at scale and make engagement simple and effective.
These metrics are just the highlight reel. Check out our full Summer 2025 Recap report for more insights.
¹ Nielsen: Streaming Reaches Historic TV Milestone, Eclipses Combined Broadcast and Cable Viewing For First Time, June 2025
² Source: Nielsen Gauge, July 2025 | Roku analysis of Nielsen data, July 2025