The streaming service Nielsen put at the top of U.S. television in July 2026 is YouTube, at 14.2% of TV time. That figure is in the July 2026 Gauge release (September 10, 2026). YouTube viewing rose 6% versus June. Nielsen also called it a record for the streamer, and said the lead in the Media Distributor Gauge widened to 5.0 share points. The 5.0 points are the size of the lead, not a second share for YouTube.
The same release does not reprint the full service table from April. If a logo is missing below, Nielsen did not give it a July percentage in that press release. This page leaves the cell blank instead of borrowing a blog recap or carrying April forward under a July label.
What the July release named
Streaming as a category was 49.0% of total TV (+0.5 points), with usage up 3.4% versus June. Inside that, the press release gives these service or streaming-portfolio shares:
Source: Nielsen, September 10, 2026. Interval June 29 through July 26, 2026.
Peacock's month was specific. Nielsen said Love Island USA was the most-streamed title again, with 4.9 billion viewing minutes in July and 11.7 billion across June and July combined. Peacock's two biggest days lined up with World Cup matches on Telemundo that also ran on the streamer: Mexico vs England on July 5, and Spain vs Argentina in the final on July 19.
Disney's 4.7% is the streaming portfolio (the release cites gains on The Bear and King of the Hill, nearly 3 billion viewing minutes combined). It is not permission to split Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ into three unpublished rows.
May figures the July release did not refresh
The May 2026 release (July 28, 2026) named more services than July's write-up. Those May numbers are still the latest primary figures for those names. They are May, not July.
June's release said YouTube, Netflix, The Roku Channel, and Paramount Streaming (Paramount+ and Pluto TV together) gained viewing minutes, and that their shares were flat or slightly down, similar to streaming overall. It restated YouTube at 13.8% of time spent among media distributors, and Peacock at 2.3% of total TV. It did not print a new Prime Video, Roku Channel, or Tubi percentage. July then moved YouTube to 14.2% and Peacock to 2.6%.
Netflix in the May release is a Media Distributor Gauge figure: 8.0% of TV usage, No. 4 among distributors, +0.2 points, lifted by the acquired series La Brea. That is not the same cell as Netflix's April service share on the older page (7.8% of TV in The Gauge service ranking). June and July did not publish a replacement Netflix percentage in the primary releases we used. This page does not invent one.
Gauge shares and distributor shares
Nielsen publishes two rankings in the same news cycle.
The Gauge splits total TV time into broadcast, cable, streaming, and other, then names streaming services inside the streaming slice.
The Media Distributor Gauge ranks parent companies. A company total can include a broadcast network, cable channels, and streaming apps.
Mixing them makes a false horse race. In May, Disney's company share was 10.0% of TV. That includes ESPN's NBA playoff cable telecasts. Disney's streaming properties in July were 4.7%. Both numbers are real. They answer different questions.
The same trap shows up at Fox. The distributor chart has FOX at 7.4% of TV in June and 7.8% in July, on World Cup viewing. That is not Tubi's share. Tubi's measurement note is covered on the Q3 Tubi page. Nielsen said it adjusted Tubi parameters in June and is still evaluating the impact, and the July release did not print a Tubi percentage.
Why the April ranking is still on the site
The Q2 2026 most-watched page is the last place we published a fuller service list in one month: YouTube 13.4%, Netflix 7.8%, Prime Video 4.2%, and the other April rows, from the April Gauge released June 25, 2026. Keep that page when you need the April cross-section. Do not paste its Netflix or Tubi rows into July.
Category totals for May, June, and July (streaming, cable, broadcast) live on the Q3 cable vs streaming page. This page does not repeat that whole table.
What a buyer should do with a partial list
YouTube leading national TV time does not mean a local campaign should spend only there. The July list is a partial public ranking plus a sports month. Peacock's 2.6% includes a hit series and World Cup days. Next month's list will move for programming reasons that have nothing to do with your trade area.
Keep the month on every number. 14.2% is July. 4.5% for Prime Video is May. 7.8% for Netflix on the older page is April, and May's 8.0% is a distributor share.
Leave blanks blank. A missing Tubi or Netflix service cell is a source gap, not a zero.
Buy the geography you serve. National share includes cities where you have no customers.
Judge your flight on delivery and site visits. The Gauge will not tell you if the ad ran in your ZIP codes.
Adwave runs paid media on Meta, Google, TikTok, Reddit, web, and TV from one prepaid daily budget starting at $30/day, with local radius or ZIP targeting and a first-party site tracker. Individual signups typically get a $60 starter credit. You approve ads before you spend. Creative tooling is separate, at Wavemaker.
FAQ
What is the most-watched streaming service in July 2026?
YouTube, at 14.2% of U.S. TV time, in Nielsen's July 2026 Gauge release (September 10, 2026). That is a streamer share of total television, and Nielsen called it a record for YouTube. It also led the Media Distributor Gauge, by 5.0 share points.
Did Netflix pass YouTube?
Not in any July figure Nielsen published in the release we cite. The May Media Distributor Gauge had Netflix at 8.0% of TV usage, against YouTube at 13.8% that month. July moved YouTube to 14.2% and did not print a new Netflix percentage.
Why do Disney figures show both 4.7% and 10%?
They are different charts and different months. July's 4.7% is Disney's streaming properties. May's 10.0% is Disney as a media distributor, which includes cable sports. Do not average them.
Where is Tubi in the July ranking?
Nielsen did not publish a July Tubi share. The release says Tubi measurement parameters changed in June and the impact is still being evaluated. The last Tubi share this site will cite is 2.3% of TV in April 2026, on the Q2 Tubi page.
Can a small business advertise on these services?
National share is not a buying guide, and not every hour in the Gauge carries ads. Adwave can include TV with search and social from $30/day, targeted to a radius or ZIP list, with a first-party tracker on your site. The service list above is context for where viewing time went. Your campaign report is the buy you ran.
