Observed Signal · Feb 25, 2026 · Audience Measurement Report · Source: Adweek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
YouTube Leads TV Viewership as Disney Gains Ground
Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge for January 2026 shows YouTube remained the most-watched media distributor with a 12.5% share, while Disney closed the gap to within 0.6 share points after posting 11.9% of TV usage. Disney’s performance was driven by ESPN’s College Football Playoffs and Championship (an +82% monthly viewing lift for ESPN) and stronger viewing on ABC affiliates (+10% month). Netflix finished third at 8.8%. The top-10 ranking also listed NBCU and Versant (combined) at 8.5%, Paramount 8.2%, Fox 7.4%, Warner Bros. Discovery 5.5%, Amazon 4.1%, The Roku Channel 3.0%, and Scripps 1.6%. Nielsen treats NBCU and Versant as one entity for ad-sales handling.
Monthly Nielsen distributor rankings inform media planning and ad allocations; Disney closing the gap with YouTube and NBCU handling ad sales for Versant may influence short-term buy decisions but do not represent an industry structural change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Nielsen Media Distributor Gauge (January 2026) ranked YouTube first with a 12.5% share of TV usage.
- Disney finished January with 11.9% share, within 0.6 share points of YouTube and up +1.2% from December 2025.
- ESPN’s college football coverage drove an +82% monthly viewing increase for the network and added nearly a full share point to Disney’s total.
- Netflix held 8.8%; NBCU and Versant combined were 8.5% (Nielsen treating them as one because NBCU is handling ad sales).
- Top-10 also: Paramount 8.2%, Fox 7.4%, Warner Bros. Discovery 5.5%, Amazon 4.1%, The Roku Channel 3.0%, Scripps 1.6%.
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YouTube Tops TV; Disney Sports Narrows Lead
Nielsen's January 2026 Media Distributor Gauge shows YouTube retained the top share of TV viewing for the 11th consecutive month with a 12.5% share, but Disney closed the gap to just 0.6 percentage points after a large sports-driven lift. Disney's nearly 12% share gain was driven largely by ESPN, which saw an 82% month-over-month jump from the College Football Playoffs, while ABC affiliate viewership rose about 10% from NFL games and seasonal specials. Netflix remained in third with just under 9% of TV viewing, led by Stranger Things. Results underscore that marquee live sports remain a powerful audience driver for legacy media amid streaming fragmentation.
Streaming Made Up 48.6% of TV Viewing in May 2026
Nielsen's The Gauge reports that streaming accounted for 48.6% of all TV viewing in May 2026, exceeding combined cable (20.4%) and broadcast (19.2%). Nielsen's service-level breakdown shows YouTube at 13.8%, Netflix at 8.0%, Disney services at 4.9%, Prime Video at 4.5%, The Roku Channel at 3.1%, Tubi at 2.3%, Paramount services at 2.3%, Peacock at 1.8%, Warner Bros. Discovery services at 1.5%, and 6.6% from other services. Nielsen noted this was YouTube's highest monthly share and reported a month-over-month increase for Prime Video, which Nielsen attributes to events including The Boys finale, NBA and WNBA games, and two NASCAR races. Nielsen also said typical seasonal declines affected broadcast and cable viewing while sports drove a small uptick.
Live Sports Boosts Traditional Media Viewership
Nielsen’s October data shows live sports drove notable viewership gains for legacy media in October 2025. Broadcasters and cable networks including Disney, Fox and Paramount saw large jumps in distributor rankings and audience share—Disney rose to just over 11% share while Fox and Paramount moved ahead of Netflix on Nielsen’s distributor chart. YouTube retained the top position overall. Major live events powered the increases: MLB playoff broadcasts lifted FS1 viewership by ~285% and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TBS saw a ~93% jump during the National League Championship Series. Despite the resurgence of linear/cable tied to live sports, streaming still accounted for roughly 46% of total viewership. The report underscores legacy media’s competitive advantage with live-sports rights and explains why streamers like Netflix and Amazon are pursuing sports rights more aggressively.
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