Broadcast TV Recovers, Streaming Holds Strong in Q2 2026

In the second quarter of 2026, ad-supported broadcast television viewership saw a modest year-over-year increase of 0.6%, reaching a 26.6% share. This growth was largely attributed to popular sports events such as the NBA playoffs and the FIFA World Cup.

Despite a seasonal decline from the first quarter, broadcast TV's year-over-year performance was strong. Streaming platforms solidified their lead, commanding 48.2% of ad-supported viewing time, while cable television maintained a steady 25.2% share.

Focusing on viewers aged 18 and older revealed different trends, with streaming viewership falling by 3.8 share points to 44.4%. Conversely, broadcast viewership among this demographic rose by 2 share points to 28.6%, and cable viewership increased by 1.8 share points to 27%.

June 2026 data highlighted the significant impact of major sporting events. The World Cup and NBA Finals drove total broadcast viewership to an overall share of 19.8%, the first increase recorded since the Nielsen Gauge report launched in 2021. Fox and NBCUniversal were key beneficiaries of this surge.

Cable TV experienced a 2% decrease in viewing, settling at a 19.5% share, partly due to the absence of the NBA and NHL playoffs, which led to a 10% monthly decline in cable sports viewership. Streaming platforms collectively held 48.5% of TV viewing in June, showing a nearly 3% increase from May.

Distributor rankings showed YouTube and Disney leading in overall TV viewership for June, with 13.8% and 9.6% respectively. NBCU and Versant followed with a combined 9.1% share. Fox secured a 7.4% share, while Netflix maintained a strong presence with 7.9% of streaming platform viewership.