YouTube Takes Top Spot as Most-Watched Streaming Platform on TV

The latest ratings from Nielsen's The Gauge have revealed a surprise in the world of American television viewing: YouTube has taken the top spot as the most-watched streaming platform on TV.

According to Nielsen's data for July 2026, YouTube accounted for a significant 14.2 percent share of US television viewing time, more than double that of Netflix at 7.8 percent. This unexpected shift has seen other popular streaming platforms fall behind in the rankings, with The Roku Channel outperforming Peacock and Tubi beating Warner Bros. Discovery's services.

The data from Nielsen specifically tracks TV viewing time, not subscriber numbers or app downloads, which is an important distinction to make when considering these results. This means that the numbers only account for time spent watching streaming content on a television set, rather than on mobile devices or other platforms.

The fact that YouTube has emerged as the leader in this metric is particularly notable given its focus on individual creators and user-generated content. It's also worth noting that live channels watched via YouTube TV are counted towards broadcast or cable viewing, which helps to prevent inflated numbers for the platform.

The viewing share of streaming platforms in the US has been revealed for July 2026, showing that Disney's services are leading the pack. The company's trio of streaming platforms - Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ - took home a significant 4.7 percent of the total viewing share. This is followed closely by Amazon's Prime Video at 4.2 percent.

Roku's own streaming service, The Roku Channel, managed to secure fifth place with a 2.9 percent share, edging out NBCUniversal's Peacock at 2.6 percent. Paramount's services, including its flagship platform Paramount+ and Pluto TV, accounted for 2.2 percent of the viewing share, while Tubi secured 2 percent. Warner Bros. Discovery's services, which include HBO Max and discovery+, trailed behind with a 1.4 percent share.

These numbers are significant because they show that even though Disney is leading the pack, there is still a diverse range of streaming platforms vying for viewers' attention in the US market. The fact that Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery have several services grouped together may also be influencing their combined viewing shares.

The Roku Channel and Tubi offer free streaming options to users, with ads being the main trade-off. This has proven to be a popular choice among viewers, who can access live channels, shows and movies without having to pay for a subscription. However, some viewers have expressed concerns about the potential increase in advertising on these platforms.

It's worth noting that The Roku Channel is available not only through Roku devices but also on compatible Samsung and Fire TV devices, as well as in a browser. This flexibility has contributed to its popularity among users who want to access free content without having to commit to a specific device or platform.

YouTube's streaming capabilities have seen significant growth in recent years, with over 700 million hours of podcasts watched on living-room devices in October 2025. This figure represents a substantial increase from the 400 million hours recorded just a year earlier.

The flexibility and variety offered by YouTube has allowed it to thrive as a popular streaming platform. In addition to its free ad-supported content, users can also rent or buy movies, subscribe to YouTube Premium, or pay for individual creator memberships. Meanwhile, other major players in the market such as Netflix and Prime Video offer different business models, with Netflix relying on recurring plans and Prime Video offering rentals and add-on channel subscriptions.