Observed Signal · May 1, 2026 · Index Update / Publication · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Unified Streaming Power Index Updated — April 2026
State of Streaming published an updated Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI) for April 2026 that revises platform rankings after methodological corrections and expanded audience denominators. Prime Video remains number one; a methodological correction that treats Roku’s operating system as the unit of analysis lifts Roku to number two after Roku reported 100 million streaming households, $613 million in Q1 2026 advertising revenue (up 27% YoY) and a 60.5% advertising gross margin. Peacock’s ad spend and attention-conversion metrics validate its placement (reported $1.91 billion in spend and 46 million paid subscribers in Q1 2026). The April index also adds a second denominator — 117,696,246 households with any cellular data plan (including 16.7 million cellular-only households) — changing how platforms are scored against reachable audiences.
The April USPI changes platform rankings (notably Roku) and expands audience denominators (adding cellular-only households), which affects how advertisers and planners evaluate streaming reach and inventory but does not represent a major platform policy or technical change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Prime Video remains number one in the Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI).
- Roku moved to number two after the index corrected its unit of analysis to the Roku operating system; Roku reported 100 million streaming households and $613 million in advertising revenue in Q1 2026 (27% YoY growth) with a 60.5% advertising gross margin.
- Peacock is the only platform where ad spend rank and composite rank agree: $1.91 billion in spend and 46 million paid subscribers disclosed in Q1 2026 earnings; the index cites a 20% vertical-clip-to-live-stream conversion during the Winter Olympics.
- April’s USPI adds a second denominator of 117,696,246 households with any cellular data plan, including 16.7 million cellular-only households, expanding the audience universe used for scoring.
Connected Companies & Entities
6 Entities mapped“Prime Video at number one holds....”
“Peacock as the validation case holds. It remains the only platform where ad spend rank and composite rank agree: $1.91 billion in spend, 46 ...”
“The correct unit is the Roku operating system. 100 million streaming households. Advertising revenue of $613 million growing 27% year over y...”
“As we reported, three platforms made credible moves toward that universe this month: Disney+ via Verts, Roku via Howdy, Peacock via its vert...”
“As we reported, three platforms made credible moves toward that universe this month: Disney+ via Verts, Roku via Howdy, Peacock via its vert...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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State of Streaming Launches Unified Streaming Power Index
State of Streaming published the inaugural Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI) for Q1 2026, an open-source, directional index that ranks streaming platforms by estimated addressable household reach and attention quality. The USPI is built from twelve consecutive weeks of public viewership data (January–March 2026), calibrated across six weighted dimensions (content/sports heat, engagement, ad clutter, CPM value, etc.) for an initial set of 17 streaming apps and benchmarked to 101,582,619 U.S. broadband households. Early findings highlight Prime Video’s breadth (estimated 88M premium reach), HBO Max and Netflix with similar ad-tier reach (27M and 28M respectively) but different CPM dynamics, and Peacock’s high attention density (low ad load around 2–4 ads/hour). The publisher plans to expand The Grid to 285+ additional apps and invites publishers and buyers to claim or contest metrics.
June USPI: Three Themes Reshaping Streaming Power
The June 2026 Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI) analyzes how a dense live-sports window (NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final, FIFA World Cup) is accelerating structural shifts in streaming advertising. It identifies three macro themes: (1) home-screen portals (OS vendors and OEMs) have become primary discovery engines, reducing the primacy of content catalogs; (2) the economic vulnerability of the wrapper model (virtual MVPDs like YouTube TV, Fubo, DirecTV Stream) when they lack rights-holder control and suffer distribution failures; and (3) convergence of CTV real estate with retail first-party data (notably Walmart–Vizio and Amazon) enabling closed-loop attribution and performance marketing on the television. The index includes a ranked scorecard (Roku #1, Amazon #2, Peacock #3, ESPN top for live sports, DirecTV Stream bottom) and highlights advertiser implications for inventory selection, attribution, and top‑of‑funnel buying.
State of Streaming Adds Stadium Profile
State of Streaming is a publisher index page aggregating recent coverage, briefs and resources about the streaming/CTV ecosystem. The page lists multiple article headlines covering topics such as Roku passing 100 million streaming households, Netflix’s ad business running on Amazon infrastructure, contextual targeting and AI for premium video, TiVo Ads’ household ID work, and other CTV/streaming industry items. The site provides links to articles, a podcast, a directory, an asset library, and publisher/company profiles — including a profile for Stadium, a free sports streaming app headquartered in Chicago (founded 2017). The page footer shows © 2026 State of Streaming and exposes navigation to articles, briefings, chat and USPI rankings.
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