U.S. TV viewership shifts as streaming and sports drive trends

The television landscape is seeing significant shifts in viewership and advertising trends. In the United States, ad-supported broadcast TV viewership increased 0.6% year-over-year to 26.6% during the second quarter of 2026, bolstered by major sporting events such as the NBA playoffs and the FIFA World Cup. Fox and NBCUniversal/Versant were noted as the primary beneficiaries of this sports-driven coverage.

Simultaneously, streaming services continue to grow, capturing 48.2% of ad-supported TV viewing in the second quarter. In June, YouTube and Disney led the distributor rankings with 13.8% and 9.6% of TV viewership, respectively.

Broader trends also highlight the rise of Connected TV (CTV). In the U.S., CTV ad spend is projected to increase by nearly 30% annually, driven by a cultural shift in media consumption and increased household adoption. The number of CTV devices in U.S. homes has grown significantly, reaching 400 million, as viewers increasingly adopt cross-device usage patterns involving smartphones, the internet, and smart televisions.