● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportMedium impact1 neutral
YouTube Leads US TV Streaming in July 2026; Free Services Outperform Paid Platforms
Key points
- YouTube held 14.2% of US TV viewing in July 2026.
- Netflix accounted for 7.8% of US TV viewing.
- The Roku Channel surpassed Peacock in viewing share.
- Tubi outperformed Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming services.
YouTube Dominates US TV Streaming
Nielsen's The Gauge reported that YouTube was the most-watched streaming platform on US televisions in July 2026, capturing 14.2% of total viewing time. This figure nearly doubles Netflix's share of 7.8%. The data specifically tracks viewing time on TV sets and excludes mobile viewing or app downloads.
Free Services Gain Traction
The report highlighted the strong performance of free, ad-supported streaming services. The Roku Channel secured 2.9% of the streaming viewing share, placing it ahead of Peacock, which had 2.6%. Tubi also demonstrated significant viewership, achieving 2% and surpassing Warner Bros. Discovery's combined services (HBO Max and discovery+) which accounted for 1.4%.
Comparison with Major Paid Platforms
Disney's streaming services (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+) collectively held 4.7% of the viewing share, followed by Prime Video at 4.2%. Paramount's services, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV, accounted for 2.2%. These figures indicate that free platforms are increasingly competing with established subscription-based services for television viewing time.
Methodology and Context
Nielsen's The Gauge measures TV viewing time, not subscriber numbers. The 14.2% for YouTube specifically refers to its streaming platform, with YouTube TV (live channels) counted under broadcast or cable viewing. In July 2026, streaming accounted for 49% of all TV time. Peacock saw a 15% increase in TV viewing from June, partly due to World Cup coverage and 'Love Island USA'.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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Reporting from
In July 2026, YouTube captured 14.2% of US television viewing time, surpassing Netflix's 7.8%, according to Nielsen's The Gauge. Free streaming services like The Roku Channel and Tubi also outperformed several paid platforms, including Peacock and Warner Bros. Discovery's services. This data indicates a shift in TV viewing habits towards ad-supported and user-generated content platforms.