48.6%
of total TV watch-time was streaming
Nielsen reported streaming's share of total U.S. TV usage for May 2026, up 1.0 percentage point from April.
Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, July 28, 2026 ↗AdvertisingConnected TV
U.S. connected TV reference
Connected TV
advertising
statistics: 2026
A practical sourcebook for marketers, media buyers, writers, and anyone tracking where television attention and advertising dollars are moving.
Last updated: August 5, 2026
Every figure below links to the original research or report. Dates reflect the source publication date, not the date this page was updated.
13.8%
of TV watch-time went to YouTube
YouTube led all media distributors in May 2026, according to Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge.
Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, July 28, 2026 ↗4.5%
of TV watch-time went to Prime Video
Prime Video reached its highest reported share of television usage in May 2026, helped by live sports and original programming.
Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, July 28, 2026 ↗83%
of U.S. adults use streaming services
Pew Research Center found that 83% of U.S. adults said they watch streaming services in its April 2025 survey.
Source: Pew Research Center, July 1, 2025 ↗55%
watch streaming without cable or satellite
More than half of U.S. adults reported watching streaming services without also subscribing to cable or satellite television.
Source: Pew Research Center, July 1, 2025 ↗72%
of U.S. adults say they use Netflix
Netflix was the most widely used streaming service among the nine platforms covered in Pew Research Center's April 2025 survey.
Source: Pew Research Center, July 1, 2025 ↗$33.35B
forecast for U.S. connected-TV ad spending in 2025
EMARKETER forecast U.S. connected-TV advertising spend would grow 15.8% year over year in 2025. This is a forecast, not reported spend.
Source: EMARKETER, forecast published December 2024 ↗$258.6B
in U.S. internet advertising revenue in 2024
IAB and PwC reported a 14.9% increase in total U.S. internet advertising revenue from 2023 to 2024.
Source: IAB/PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, April 17, 2025 ↗How to use these numbers
Context matters
as much as reach.
Streaming, connected TV, and online video are related but not interchangeable. The figures on this page retain the language and scope of their original sources so readers can use them accurately.
Audience-share figures describe viewing, not ad exposure. The spending figure is clearly marked as a forecast. For campaign planning, the useful question is not only where viewers are, but which audience, message, and measurement approach fit the job.
Explore campaign advertising ↗Methodology and sources
Built to cite,
not to guess.
This page collects publicly available U.S. data from Nielsen, Pew Research Center, IAB/PwC, and EMARKETER. Individual source links appear with each statistic so the original definition, survey method, and reporting period remain easy to check.
Creative Eye Media does not combine these numbers into a new estimate or treat forecasts as reported results. The page will be reviewed when major source data changes, with statistic anchors kept stable for citation.
Suggested citation
Creative Eye Media. “Connected TV Advertising Statistics: 2026.” Updated August 5, 2026. https://creativeeye.media/connected-tv-advertising-statistics