TV Usage Kicks Usual Summer Slowdown, Fueled by World Cup and Streaming in Nielsen's July Gauge Reports

FIFA World Cup 2026 and Peacock's Love Island USA' Power NBCU-Versant to No. 2 in Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge with 9.2% of TV

FOX Owns Largest Viewing Increase Among Media Distributors in July, Climbs to 7.8% of TV

YouTube Captures a Record 14.2% of TV as Overall Streaming Rises to 49.0%

NEW YORK - September 10, 2026 - The July television landscape was fueled by the final weeks of the FIFA World Cup 2026 coupled with streaming's traditional summer boost, according to Nielsen's July 2026 reports of The Gauge and Media Distributor Gauge. While total TV usage typically follows a flat to downward trend in the June-to-July transition, this month exhibited a 2.2% increase in overall usage to rival the Olympics-driven pattern of July 2024 when monthly usage rose 2.3%.

NBCU mirrored its June playbook, which helped power NBCU-Versant* to No. 2 in Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge with 9.2% of TV in July ( 0.1 pt.). Peacock scored double-digit viewing increases for a second consecutive month as its viewership jumped 15% compared to June, bringing its share of TV to 2.6% in July's report of The Gauge ( 0.3 pts.). In back-to-back months, Love Island USA was the most-streamed title of the interval, generating 4.9 billion viewing minutes in July and 11.7 billion minutes across both months combined. The impact Telemundo's World Cup simulcasts had on Peacock's success was also further evidenced by the streamer's two most-viewed days this interval, including July 5 when Mexico played England in the Round of 16, and July 19 when Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup Final.

FOX continued to benefit from huge FIFA World Cup 2026 viewership, leading it to the largest monthly viewing increase among media distributors for a second consecutive month ( 7% vs. June). On top of the 73% increase its broadcast affiliates exhibited in June, FOX's World Cup coverage drove another 36% bump on FOX affiliates in July. Additionally, FOX owned 25 of the top 26 July telecasts, including the record-breaking World Cup Final on July 19. FOX ultimately added 0.4 share points to finish with 7.8% of TV in July.

Streaming continued to gain momentum, as typically happens in the summer months. Streaming usage was up 3.4% compared to June, and the category climbed to 49.0% of total TV ( 0.5 pts.). In addition to Peacock, several other streaming platforms benefited from the summer surge:

YouTube viewing rose 6% month-over-month to bring the streamer's share of TV to a record 14.2%, and extending its lead in the Media Distributor Gauge to 5.0 share points.

Disney's streaming properties captured 4.7% of TV in July ( 0.1 pt.), up 4% compared to June with gains across all demographic groups, including a 7% lift among 6-17 year-olds. The Bear and King of the Hill contributed to Disney's monthly uptick with nearly 3 billion viewing minutes combined.

While broadcast viewing typically exhibits a 4-5% usage decrease in July, the continuation and conclusion of the World Cup drove a slight viewing increase for the category this year ( 1%). Broadcast finished the month with a 19.5% share of TV (-0.3 pts.). On the cable side, the number of World Cup telecasts fell from 31 in June to just two in July. This also impacted cable sports viewing, which declined 27% month-over-month to represent just 6% of all cable viewership. Overall cable usage was down 2% on a monthly basis, and the category represented 18.7% of TV in July.

* Because advertising sales for Versant are still retained by NBCUniversal, and to preserve data trends and insights in these reports, NBCU and Versant are reported together in the Media Distributor Gauge with each company's respective share included in the Media Distributor Gauge chart.

The July 2026 interval spanned four weeks, from 06/29/2026 through 07/26/2026. Nielsen reporting follows the broadcast calendar, with weekly intervals beginning on Monday.

July '26June '26May '26April' 26March '26February' 26January' 26December '25November '25October '25September 25August 25July 25June 25May '25April '25March '25February 25January '25

July '26June '26May '26April' 26March '26February '26January' 26December '25November '25October '25September 25July 25June 25May 25April 25March 25February 25January '25

NOTE: The Gauge and Media Distributor Gauge (MDG) reports are representative of total television viewing, including both ad-supported and non-ad-supported viewing. The Gauge and MDG do not reflect Nielsen's currency TV ratings that inform advertising sales. Methodological updates to The Gauge and MDG reports will be implemented this fall to include various enhancements to Nielsen's currency measurement.

NOTE: In June 2026, Nielsen adjusted its measurement parameters for Tubi and is currently evaluating the impact of this change.

About Nielsen Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences-now and into the future. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram).

Press Contact Lauren Pabst

lauren.pabst@nielsen.com

LINK:	https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2026/tv-usage-kicks-usual-summer-s...
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