Ad-supported television accounted for 71.5 percent of total viewing in the second quarter of 2026, down 1.3 share points from the prior quarter, according to the latest edition of Nielsen’s “The Ad Supported Gauge.”
The decline is typical for the period, with Nielsen citing seasonal patterns like lower broadcast TV viewing following the end of the traditional TV season and the wind-down of some premium sports programming carried on networks like ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
Broadcast viewing declined from the first quarter to the second quarter, but Nielsen said the drop was softer than the same period last year. Sports programming helped offset some of the seasonal weakness, with the NBA playoffs and early World Cup coverage contributing to a year-over-year gain for broadcast.
Broadcast accounted for 26.6 percent of ad-supported television viewing in Q2, up from 26 percent in the same period last year.
Streaming continued to expand its lead within ad-supported TV. Nielsen said streaming gained 1.6 share points during the quarter, reaching 48.2 percent of ad-supported viewing. Cable held steady at 25.2 percent, unchanged from the first quarter.
The viewing mix shifts when Nielsen narrows the measurement from overall viewers to those over the age of 18: Among adults, streaming’s share fell 3.8 points to 44.4 percent, while broadcast increased to 28.6 percent and cable rose to 27 percent.
Nielsen said the published version of “The Ad Supported Gauge” has not yet migrated to ARF DASH-based media-related universe estimates. That change is expected in the fall and could produce different results from the current published methodology.
