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YouTube Tops US TV Streaming; Free Services Beat Some Subscription Rivals

YouTube led US TV streaming in July 2026 with 14.2% viewing share, nearly double Netflix, Nielsen data shows.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-27 09:52

Nielsen said 49 percent of all TV time in July was spent on streaming. Live channels watched through YouTube TV are counted as broadcast or cable viewing, so the pay-TV service does not add to YouTube's streaming share. The measurement excludes people watching YouTube tutorials on phones.

Behind YouTube and Netflix, Disney's streaming services—Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+—accounted for 4.7 percent of TV viewing, followed by Prime Video at 4.2 percent. The Roku Channel was fifth at 2.9 percent, ahead of Peacock at 2.6 percent. Paramount's services, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV, accounted for 2.2 percent, while Tubi's 2 percent topped Warner Bros. Discovery's 1.4 percent, a group that includes HBO Max and discovery+. Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery each had multiple services grouped together, while The Roku Channel and Tubi were counted individually. The numbers are for July, before Paramount, now Skydance, acquired Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6.

Peacock, despite ranking below The Roku Channel, had a strong month: TV viewing rose 15 percent from June, helped by World Cup coverage, and Love Island USA drew 4.9 billion viewing minutes in July, according to Nielsen. Nielsen said it was still evaluating the impact of a June change to how it measures Tubi.

The Roku Channel and Tubi offer free ad-supported live channels, shows and movies. Tubi does not sell a paid subscription, while Roku sells optional subscriptions to other streaming services. The Roku Channel's free catalog can be watched in a browser or on compatible Samsung and Fire TV devices without buying Roku hardware.

YouTube reported more than 700 million hours of podcasts watched on living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million a year earlier. Its regular videos are free with ads, but YouTube also rents or sells movies, offers YouTube Premium and sells individual creator memberships. Netflix relies mainly on recurring plans, while Prime Video offers rentals and add-on channel subscriptions.

Fox already owns Tubi and agreed in June to acquire Roku in a deal valued at approximately $22 billion. Roku confirmed on Oct. 19 that the transaction was still pending.