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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 125MM TV homes in the U.S. for the 2023-2024 TV season.
(Source: Nielsen, National Television Household Universe Estimates)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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 May 2025:
- Streaming - 44.8%
- Cable - 24.1%
- Broadcast - 20.1%
- Other - 10.9%
(Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, May 2025)
- Distribution of total streaming usage in the U.S. in May 2025:
- YouTube - 12.5%
- Netflix - 7.5%
- Disney (includes Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu) - 5%
- Prime Video - 3.5%
- Roku channel - 2.5%
- Paramount+ - 2.2%
- Tubi - 2.2%
- Warner Bros. Discovery (include HBO Max) - 1.5%
- Peacock - 1.4%
- Other streaming - 6.5%
(Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, May 2025) |
