Most U.S. TV households still treat the living room as the main screen, but bedroom sets are common and, in about one in seven homes, they are the most-watched TV, according to the DASH Mid-Year 2026 release.
Among households with at least one TV, 86% have a set in the living room, and in 71% of those homes that living-room TV is the most-watched. Nearly two-thirds of TV households also have at least one bedroom set. In 15% of TV households — roughly one in seven — a bedroom TV, not the living-room set, draws the most viewing.
Bedroom viewing is not simply living-room viewing moved to another room. It peaks later and leans more toward streaming. Among people watching TV from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., 27% primarily used a bedroom set. From 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., that share rose to 34%, matching living-room viewing. During prime time, nearly 30% of streaming-video viewing occurred on a bedroom TV.
Connection data tracks the same split. Bedroom TVs were slightly more likely than living-room TVs to connect through smart-TV hardware such as a Roku or Amazon Fire Stick, 39% versus 34%.
For measurement firms, media companies and advertisers, the findings mean a household can look measurable through one platform, device or service while substantial viewing happens on another screen, in another room or through another path. TV fragmentation is not only across platforms; it is also inside the home. The living room remains the anchor, but the bedroom is a large, late-night and more fragmented environment that can change how audiences are measured, reached and valued.