YouTube leads US television streaming as free services outpace some rivals
Nielsen figures for July 2026 put The Roku Channel ahead of Peacock and Tubi above Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming services.
YouTube accounted for 14.2 percent of television viewing in the United States in July 2026, compared with Netflix’s 7.8 percent, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge. Streaming overall represented 49 percent of TV viewing time.
The rankings also showed free, ad-supported platforms ahead of some subscription rivals. The Roku Channel recorded a 2.9 percent share, exceeding Peacock’s 2.6 percent. Tubi registered 2 percent, above the 1.4 percent for Warner Bros. Discovery’s combined HBO Max and discovery+ services.
Nielsen measures time spent watching television rather than subscriptions or app downloads, and excludes phone viewing. Live television viewed through YouTube TV is classified as broadcast or cable, rather than added to YouTube’s streaming figure.
Peacock’s viewing increased 15 percent from June, helped by World Cup programming. Love Island USA generated 4.9 billion viewing minutes during July. Nielsen said it was continuing to assess the effect of a change introduced in June to its Tubi measurement.
