YouTube reaches record high share of United States connected television viewership

YouTube captured a record 15.8 percent share of total watch time on United States television screens in August 2026, Tubefilter reported. According to Nielsen's monthly The Gauge report, the Google-owned video platform achieved its largest viewership share to date across all major media distributors on television screens. [1]

The latest figure puts YouTube at double the television watch time of any competing streaming service, Tubefilter reported. Nielsen tracks television screen usage across distribution platforms, where YouTube consistently leads subscription streaming competitors such as Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+. [1]

Google acquired YouTube in November 2006 for 1.65 billion dollars in stock, and the platform has since expanded into the second-most visited website globally. The service reaches 84 percent of United States adults and averages approximately 2.7 billion monthly active users as of early 2026. [4][5]

Creators upload over 500 hours of video to the platform every minute, adding roughly 720,000 hours of new content each day. The expanding television audience offers digital media publishers increased opportunities to capture living room ad revenues alongside desktop and mobile distribution. [1][5]