Seth MacFarlane wins inaugural Streaming Icon of the Year award from Nielsen

It seems today, that all we see, is violence in movies and Seth MacFarlane on TV. As long as you’re watching TV on streaming services, that is.

MacFarlane has been named the winner of the inaugural Streaming Icon of the Year award from the media audience measurement firm Nielsen. This award was given as part of the company’s annual Audience Rated Television Entertainment of the Year Awards, or the ARTEY Awards, which recognize the most-watched streaming titles of the year.

The honor of Streaming Icon of the Year recognizes a creator, actor, producer or writer whose body of work drives significant viewership across many platforms, according to Nielsen.

MacFarlane’s catalog of TV shows and films contributed majorly to his win. In all, they generated over 60 billion viewing minutes across multiple platforms, which Nielsen notes would be equivalent to 116,000 years.

Among his many shows and films, it was Family Guy that contributed greatly to MacFarlane’s win. The show was the second most-watched adult animation show of 2025 and the #7 streaming program overall. It charted in the top 10 on Nielsen’s streaming charts for 37 weeks in 2025. American Dad! also contributed to his win, as the #3 most-watched adult animation streaming title of the year.

“I want to thank Nielsen for this Streaming Icon Award,” MacFarlane said in a statement. “It’s a high honor to receive the first prize in show business that isn’t determined by quality.”

As for some of the other big winners at the 2025 ARTEY Awards, Bluey was the top overall program and the top acquired program with 45.2 billion minutes streamed. Stranger Things was the top original streaming program, while KPop Demon Hunters won for top kids movie.

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