Streaming viewers are getting more comfortable with ads. That is one of the key takeaways from Nielsen’s Q2 2026 Ad-Supported Gauge released on Tuesday.
Ad-supported streaming grew +1.6% in the second quarter to 48.2%, continuing to eat into linear segments.
Together, broadcast and cable ad-supported viewing represented 51.8%. Cable held steady at 25.2%, while the broadcast segment, despite the presence of the NBA Finals and the early stages of the World Cup, fell from 28.2% to 26.6%.
These two major tournaments were also available on streaming, which may have led to internal audience cannibalization, as the NBA Finals, which aired on ABC, was also available to stream on the ESPN app, both of which are owned by Disney.
Meanwhile, the World Cup’s English media rights aired on the linear channels Fox and FS1 and streamed on Fox One. Telemundo held the Spanish media rights for the tournament, airing on the linear channel and streaming on Peacock.
Streaming enables mobile viewing, allowing audiences to catch up on games on the go. This frees them from static screens, which may have contributed to the broadcast segment’s decline despite the availability of those premium products.
However, it was not all bad news for the broadcast segment, as it rose +0.6% year-over-year to 26.6% from 26% compared to the second quarter of 2025.
Overall, ad-supported TV finished the quarter with a 71.5% share of total viewing, down -1.3% from its performance in the first quarter. Non-ad-supported TV ended Q2 with a 28.5% share.
