In today's media landscape, most consumers don't differentiate between programming viewed on broadcast, cable, ADS-delivered, and online or mobile channels.  It's all considered "TV viewing" and the positives, opportunities and challenges apply to "video" across the board:

• TV set penetration in U.S. households is high.
  
  • According to Nielsen, there are 131MM TV homes in the U.S. for the 2025-2026 TV season.

(Source: Nielsen, National Television Household Universe Estimates 2025)

• Radio - 85%
• Newspapers - 77%
• Television - 73%
• Podcasts - 70%
• Magazines - 70%
• Social media - 49%

(Source: Katz Radio Group 2026 Media Trust Study)

• 72% of Americans watch live TV daily, and 86% watch streamed TV daily.
  

(Source: Attest, 2025 U.S. Media Consumption Report)

• 56 Millions (46%) of U.S. internet households are "cord cutters", while 12% are "cord nevers", who have never subscribed to any sort of traditional pay TV.
  

(Source: TVTech, Video Services Consumer Insight Dashboard, 2025)

• As of Q3 2024, 59% of subscriptions across the eight leading SVOD services are basic tier with ad subscriptions.
  

(Source: TVTech, Video Services Consumer Insight Dashboard, 2025)

• 73% of adults 18+ consider television to be very trustworthy/trustworthy.
  

(Source: Katz Media Group 2026 Media Trust Study)

• 56% of adults have gone on the internet to get more information on a product or service after seeing an ad on TV.
  

(Source: Gfk/NIQ TVB Media Comparisons Study 2026)

• Broadcast digital assets add significantly more reach to broadcast TV than cable or AVOD.


• Broadcast TV alone - 78.0%
• Broadcast TV and cable - 78.7% - .7% reach added.
• Broadcast TV and broadcast websites - 82.1% - 4.1% reach added.
• Broadcast TV and broadcast on digital devices - 83.3% - 5.3% reach added.
• Broadcast TV and broadcast on digital devices + broadcast websites/apps - 85.7% - 7.7% reach added.
• Broadcast TV and free streaming on a TV with ads - 80.6% - 2.6% reach added.

(Source: Gfk/NIQ TVB Media Comparisons Study 2026)

• Most time spent with TV programs across all devices is on broadcast TV. Daily time spent A18+ (in hours:minutes):

• Broadcast TV - 3:30
• Cable TV - 1:44
• Paid streaming TV with ads - 1:19
• Streaming video other than TV programs - 0:43
• Free streaming TV with ads - 1:11
• Paid streaming TV no ads - 0:40

• Broadcast TV - 0:38
• Cable TV - 0:15
• Paid streaming TV with ads - 0:30
• Streaming video other than TV programs - 0:44
• Free streaming TV with ads - 0:13
• Paid streaming TV no ads - 0:16

(Source: Gfk/NIQ TVB Media Comparisons Study 2026)

• I trust the news that I see/hear on this media source (% that agree):
• Local broadcast TV news - 79%
• Local newspapers - 75%
• Local TV news websites/apps - 74%
• Radio stations - 73%
• Local TV news dedicated streaming news app - 73%
• Public TV news - 71%
• Network broadcast TV news - 71%
• National/local newspapers websites/apps - 68%
• National streaming news - 67%
• Network broadcast TV news websites/apps - 67%
• National newspapers - 65%

(Source: Gfk/NIQ TVB Media Comparisons Study 2026)

• Has an advertisement on television motivated you to go to the Internet to find out more information about that product or service? (% that said 'yes'):
• Adults 18+ - 56%
• Higher education - 78%
• Car buyers - 75%
• Home remodelers - 69%
• Job seekers - 67%
• Legal - 65%

(Source: Gfk/NIQ TVB Media Comparisons Study 2026)

• How long Americans spend watching TV (live or streaming) daily:


• None, Live - 28%; Streaming - 14%
• Less than 30 mins., Live - 12%; Streaming - 5%
• 30 mins. to one hour, Live - 17%; Streaming - 18.5%
• One to two hours, Live - 22%; Streaming - 33%
• Thee to four hours, Live - 13%; Streaming - 19%
• More than four hours, Live - 9%; Streaming - 10%

(Source: Attest, 2025 U.S. Media Consumption Report)

• 64% of consumers say they watch Netflix at least once a week.
• 49% watch Amazon Prime at least once a week.
• 44% watch Hulu at least once a week.
• 35% watch Disney+ at least once a week.
• 28% watch Paramount+ at least once a week.
• 28% watch Peacock at least once a week.
• 25% watch HBO Max at least once a week.
• 15.5% watch YouTube TV at least once a week.
• 12% watch Apple TV at least once a week.

(Source: Attest, 2025 U.S. Media Consumption Report)

• 79% of adults agree that they trust the news they see/hear on local broadcast TV.
  

(Source: Gfk/NIQ TVB Media Comparisons Study 2026)

• 69% of consumers streamed video content e.g., Netflix (increasing to 76% among millennials).
  

(Source: YouGov Surveys, April 16, 2025 – May 13, 2025)

• 63% of consumers watched live television (increasing to 75% among baby boomers).

(Source: YouGov Surveys, April 16, 2025 – May 13, 2025)

• 233 Million (81%) of People 12+ own a Smart TV.

(Source: The Infinite Dial 2026 - Edison Research/SiriusXM Media)

• As of March 2026, 89.5% of households had at least one internet-connected TV device.
  

(Source: StackAdapt, Connected TV Advertising Statistics, March 2026)

• The average U.S. adult streamed 208 minutes of TV per day in 2025
  

(Source: StackAdapt, Connected TV Advertising Statistics, March 2026)

• 70% of people who use cable TV are using it frequently.
  

(Source: Crowd React Media, The State of Media, 2025)

• 43% of people are frequently watching news and current events on cable TV while 23% are occasionally watching news and current events on cable TV.
  

(Source: Crowd React Media, The State of Media, 2025)

• 53% of men watch sports on cable TV.
  

(Source: Crowd React Media, The State of Media, 2025)

• 33% of women watch sports on cable TV.
  

(Source: Crowd React Media, The State of Media, 2025)

• Once viewed as an alternative to linear TV, CTV has become the dominant way to watch TV shows, movies, sports and live events.
  

(Source: StackAdapt, Connected TV Advertising Statistics, March 2026)

• Daily time spent on a TV + digital device, Adults 18+:
• Broadcast TV - 4:08
• Cable TV - 2:00
• Paid streaming TV with ads - 1:49
• Streaming video other than TV programs - 1:27
• Free streaming with ads - 1:24
• Paid streaming TV no ads - 0:56

(Source: Gfk/NIQ TVB Media Comparisons Study 2026)

• Connected TV (CTV) ad spending is projected to grow 11% to $29.3 billion in 2026 - a slight drop from 2025’s 12% gain

(Source: Interactive Advertising Bureau, Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Full Report, July 2026)

• Cost (47%) and audience delivery (47%) are the biggest factors why advertisers like CTV advertising.

(Source: Interactive Advertising Bureau, Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Full Report, July 2026)

• Nearly seven in 10 CTV advertisers (70%) plan to increase their CTV/OTT spending by an average of 17% in 2026.

(Source: Premion/Advertiser Perceptions, CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey, March 2026)

• Top reason for increasing ad spend on CTV/streaming TV in 2026:
• Reaches a highly engaged opt-in audience - 44%
• Combines TV’s branding power with digital’s data-driven capabilities - 40%
• Enables audience targeting in a privacy-safe, regulation-compliant way - 39%
• CTV tends to outperform linear TV - 39%
• Precision Audience Targeting - 37%
• Achieves brand awareness and performance marketing goals - 39%
• Captures declining TV audiences - 35%
• Advanced attribution - 33%
• Detailed reporting, measurement, and insights - 32%
• Makes premium TV inventory affordable and scalable - 31%
• Improves ad relevance - 28%
• Shorter ad pods cut through the clutter and provide better exposure - 21%

(Source: Premion/Advertiser Perceptions, CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey, March 2026)

• Team responsible for budget control for CTV/streaming TV advertising:
• Digital buying teams - 33%
• Integrated/hybrid buying teams - 55%
• Linear buying teams - 10%
• Other - 2%

(Source: Premion/Advertiser Perceptions, CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey, March 2026)

• Advertisers are prioritizing premium CTV environments for their ability to deliver both brand impact and measurable business outcomes. Improvement in ROI performance with CTV/streaming TV premium video content:
• Yes (net) - 97%
• Yes, improves ROI for upper funnel goals - 76%
• Yes, improves ROI for mid-funnel goals - 64%
• Yes, improves ROI for lower-funnel goal - 29%
• No, premium video content does not improve ROI performance - 3%

(Source: Premion/Advertiser Perceptions, CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey, March 2026)

• 50% of CTV/OTT advertising is expected to be purchased programmatically in 2026, signaling continued evolution toward flexible activation models that blend programmatic and managed services.

(Source: Premion/Advertiser Perceptions, CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey, March 2026)

• Biggest barriers to achieving scale in CTV/streaming TV campaigns:
• Fragmentation across platforms and providers - 43%
• Difficulty deduplicating reach and frequency across channels - 35%
• Complexity in cross-channel or cross-provider campaign planning - 34%
• Challenges reaching audiences across walled gardens - 33%
• Budget constraints - 28%
• Insufficient inventory to target effectively - 28%
• Limited access to premium inventory - 27%
• Difficulty forecasting inventory availability - 19%
• I’m not sure how to scale effectively - 7%
• None of the above. I haven’t experienced barriers to achieving scale - 9%

(Source: Premion/Advertiser Perceptions, CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey, March 2026)

• Fragmentation across providers remains the biggest barrier to achieving scale, with one-third of advertisers citing challenges related to deduplicated reach, cross-provider planning and walled gardens. Main reasons for working with multiple CTV/streaming TV providers:
• To gain access to walled garden inventory (e.g., Hulu, YouTube TV, Amazon, etc.) - 56%
• To maximize reach and scale across different CTV audiences and platforms - 53%
• To achieve sufficient scale for efficient targeting - 43%
• To ensure my campaigns deliver in full and avoid under-delivery issues - 43%
• To access premium inventory that may not be available through a single provider - 38%
• Different providers offer different targeting and measurement capabilities - 38%
• To diversify buying strategies (e.g., mix of direct buys,programmatic, managed service) - 36%
• To ensure better pricing and negotiating leverage - 29%
• Internal buying structure (e.g., different teams or agencies work with different partners) - 18%
• Based on legacy relationships or historical buying patterns - 17%

(Source: Premion/Advertiser Perceptions, CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey, March 2026)

• Power viewers (those watching more than 4 hours per day) have grown by 35% since 2023 and now make up more than one-quarter of the U.S. adult population.
  

(Source: CivicScience, "The 2026 TV Audience," April 2026)

• The percentage of Americans who say they “never” watch TV has grown from 3% in 2012 to 11% today.
  

(Source: CivicScience, "The 2026 TV Audience," April 2026)

• On average, how many hours of TV do you watch every day?
• I never watch TV - 11%
• An hour or less - 15%
• 1-4 hours - 47%
• 4+ hours - 27%

(Source: CivicScience, "The 2026 TV Audience," April 2026)

• When consumers 18+ are "watching TV," what do they consider TV?
• Watching on a television screen - 43%
• Watching content through a streaming or TV service - 21%
• Watching a series or movie - 16%
• Watching longer-form video (versus short clips) - 4%
• None of these - I use the term for any video content - 16%

(Source: CivicScience, "The 2026 TV Audience," April 2026)

• Which the following do consumers 18+ personally consider "watching TV"? (Select all that apply)
• Watching on a streaming service (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Apple TV) - 61%
• Watching through cable or satellite service - 54%
• Watching through Live TV streaming service (e.g., YouTube TV, Fubo TV) - 43%
• Watching long-form videos on YouTube - 22%
• Watching short videos on YouTube - 20%
• Watching videos on social media platforms (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat) - 14%

(Source: CivicScience, "The 2026 TV Audience," April 2026)

• In a typical week, where do general population consumers watch video content the most?
• Streaming services (e.g., Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Apple TV) - 37%
• Traditional cable TV/satellite - 24%
• Live TV streaming (e.g., YouTube TV, Fubo TV) - 18%
• YouTube - 15%
• Social media platforms (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat) - 6%

(Source: CivicScience, "The 2026 TV Audience," April 2026)

• 29.9% of daily audio time among those age 18+ in the U.S. is spent listening on an internet-connected TV or TV device.
  

(Source: Edison Research, "Share of Ear," Q4 2025)

• 72% of consumers agree that the members of their household use streaming as a form of quality time.
  

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• 80% of viewers say they'd rather spend their time watching a TV show or movie than scrolling on social media.
  

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• 44% of viewers say that they watch TV shows & movies intentionally, with no distraction.
  

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• 57% of viewers say they stream 1-3 hours of TV and movies in one sitting.
  

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• 82% of Gen Zers say they browse streaming services to discover older content.
  

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• 76% of Gen Z viewers already have or would eventually end their streaming subscription over increased prices.
  

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• 79% of consumers say that if they are paying for a streaming service, they expect no ads.
  

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• 19% of Americans access live TV channels via an antenna.

(Source: Horowitz Research, State of Media, Entertainment and Tech: Subscriptions 2025)

• Gen Z viewers agree with the following:
  
  • Most ads miss the mark - 81%
  • The ads they see on streaming seem misaligned with their personal preferences - 73%
  • Ads significantly abrupt their streaming experience - 46%

(Source: Tubi, The Stream 2025)

• Percentage of consumers who have cut the cord on their cable/satellite TV and moved to streaming-only services (yearly percentages):
• General population - 64%
• 18-29 - 77%
• 45+ - 54%

(Source: CivicScience, "6 Key Consumer-Declared Streaming Insights From Gen Z in 2026," January 2026)

• How many times do general population consumers sign up for a video streaming service to watch something, then paused/canceled the subscription afterward? (Gen Z consumers versus gen pop)
• I use video streaming services, but I've never done this - 21% versus 41%
• 1-2 times - 27% versus 28%
• 3-4 times - 34% versus 20%
• 5+ times - 19% versus 11%

(Source: CivicScience, "6 Key Consumer-Declared Streaming Insights From Gen Z in 2026," January 2026)

• How many streaming service subscriptions do consumers have specifically to watch sports? (Gen Z consumers versus gen pop)
• 0 - 33% versus 56%
• 1 - 15% versus 15%
• 2 - 24% versus 14%
• 3+ - 27% versus 16%

(Source: CivicScience, "6 Key Consumer-Declared Streaming Insights From Gen Z in 2026," January 2026)

• Where Gen Z is most open to seeing ads:
• Streamng OTT/CTV - 83%
• Online video sites (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo) - 81%
• Social media (e.g., Instagram, TikTok) - 81%
• Browsing online - 80%
• Linear TV - 80%
• Gaming platforms - 77%
• Website/apps - 76%
• Search engines - 76%
• DOOH - 75%
• Podcasts - 75%
• Music streaming services - 74%

(Source: theTradeDesk, Instant Intelligence, February 2025)

• Distribution of total television and video usage in the U.S. in June 2026:
• Streaming - 48.5%
• Cable - 19.5%
• Broadcast - 19.8%
• Other - 12.3%

(Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, June 2026)

• Distribution of total streaming usage in the U.S. in June 2026:
• YouTube - 13.8%
• Netflix - 7.9%
• Disney (includes Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu) - 4.6%
• Prime Video - 4.2%
• Roku channel - 3.0%
• Peacock - 2.3%
• Paramount+ - 2.3%
• Tubi - 2.2%
• Warner Bros. Discovery - 1.4%
• Other streaming - 6.9%

(Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, June 2026)