The most popular streaming platforms in the US might not be what you think
Netflix isn't America's most-watched streaming platform on TV, and two free services are giving bigger names some competition.
The streaming platform Americans spend the most time watching on TV doesn't require a subscription. In July 2026, YouTube had the largest share of US television viewing at 14.2 percent, which is almost double Netflix's 7.8 percent. The other surprises came farther down the rankings: The Roku Channel outpaced Peacock, while Tubi beat Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming services, including HBO Max.
These numbers come from Nielsen's The Gauge, which tracks viewing time on TV, not subscriber numbers, app downloads or viewing on a phone. In July 2026, 49 percent of all TV time was spent on streaming. Live channels watched via YouTube TV count toward broadcast or cable viewing, so the standalone pay TV service doesn't inflate YouTube's streaming share. It's interesting that the platform most focused on individual creators beat core streaming services so handily, especially when this is TV-only and thus doesn't include people looking up tutorials on their phones.
The Roku Channel and Tubi are beating some bigger names
For July 2026, Disney's streaming services (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+) accounted for 4.7 percent of streaming's viewing share, followed by Prime Video at 4.2 percent. The Roku Channel was fifth at 2.9 percent, just ahead of Peacock's 2.6 percent. Paramount's services, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV, accounted for 2.2 percent. Tubi's 2 percent was enough to outperform the 1.4 percent earned by Warner Bros. Discovery's services (HBO Max and discovery+).
Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery each have several services grouped together, while The Roku Channel and Tubi are counted individually. These numbers are for July, before Paramount (now Skydance) acquired Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6.
Despite its lower position, Peacock had a good month, with TV viewing up 15 percent from June. World Cup coverage gave it a boost, and Love Island USA had 4.9 billion viewing minutes in July. Nielsen said it was still evaluating the impact of a June change to how it measures Tubi.
Free viewing doesn't rule out paid extras
The Roku Channel and Tubi allow you to stream live channels, shows and movies for free, with ads as the tradeoff. Some Tubi viewers on Reddit have pointed to older shows and hard-to-find movies as reasons to keep watching, although others worried about the possibility of more ads. Tubi doesn't offer a paid subscription, while Roku sells optional subscriptions to other streaming services. You can also watch The Roku Channel's free catalog in a browser or on compatible Samsung and Fire TV devices without buying Roku hardware.
YouTube reported more than 700 million hours of podcasts watched on living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million a year earlier. Its regular videos are free with ads, but it has no shortage of ways to take your money. You can rent or buy movies, subscribe to YouTube Premium or pay for individual creator memberships. Netflix primarily relies on recurring plans, while Prime Video offers rentals and add-on channel subscriptions.
Fox already owns Tubi and agreed to acquire Roku in a deal valued at approximately $22 billion in June. Roku confirmed on October 19 that the transaction was still pending.