CTV Has Surpassed Broadcast & Cable Combined
As of February 2026, Connected TV (CTV) and streaming have decisively overtaken traditional cable and broadcast TV in U.S. viewership share, marking a historic shift in how Americans consume television. Streaming (which includes CTV via smart TVs, streaming devices like Roku/Amazon Fire, gaming consoles, and apps) now commands the largest portion of total TV viewing time.
Latest Key Statistics (Primarily from Nielsen's The Gauge™)
December 2025 (most recent detailed monthly data available, released January 2026): Streaming captured a record 47.5% of total TV viewing time — the highest share ever recorded. This surpassed previous highs (e.g., mid-2025 at 44.8%) and was driven by holiday content, sports, and ad-supported platforms.
· Broadcast TV: 21.4%
· Cable TV: 20.2% (an all-time low for cable)
· Combined cable + broadcast (linear TV): 41.6% — meaning streaming alone exceeded linear TV by about 6 percentage points.
Earlier 2025 Milestones (for context):
May 2025: Streaming hit 44.8%, first time surpassing combined broadcast (20.1%) + cable (24.1%) at 44.2%.
Projections and Trends into 2026:
Industry analysts (e.g., from Gardner Magazine, Adwave, and others citing Nielsen momentum) project streaming will cross the 50% threshold of total TV viewing by mid-2026 (potentially as early as Q1/Q2), making linear TV a minority share.
eMarketer forecasts average daily time spent with CTV nearing 3 hours per U.S. adult in 2026, while traditional TV time continues declining (approaching 2 hours).
Some sources (e.g., Samba TV Q4 2025 report) indicate streaming already commands over 60% of TV time in certain measurements, though Nielsen's Gauge (the industry benchmark for total TV) remains more conservative at 47-48% for late 2025.
Why This Shift Is Happening
• Cord-cutting acceleration: Over 90% of U.S. households have at least one CTV device (up from prior years), with adoption nearing saturation.
• Ad-supported growth: FAST channels, ad tiers on Netflix/Disney+/etc., and platforms like YouTube/Tubi drive massive gains — ad-supported viewing now dominates much of streaming time.
• Viewer preferences: Streaming offers on-demand content, personalization, and lean-back experiences on the big screen, while linear TV retains strength in live sports/news (e.g., NFL boosts broadcast/cable shares seasonally).
• Demographics: Younger audiences (18-34) heavily favor streaming/CTV; older viewers (65+) still anchor linear but are declining in share.
Implications for Advertising
This viewership crossover is fueling explosive CTV ad growth (projected $38B in 2026, up 14% YoY), while linear TV ad spend declines. However, ad dollars lag behind viewership — CTV remains undervalued relative to its audience scale, creating opportunities for performance-driven campaigns.
Note: These figures focus on U.S. total TV usage (including live, on-demand, and streaming). Nielsen's The Gauge is the gold standard, but slight variances exist across sources (e.g., Samba vs. Nielsen).
The trend is clear: CTV/streaming is now the dominant TV format, with cable and broadcast continuing to erode. Brands shifting to omnichannel (CTV + linear) capture the full audience effectively.
