Television viewing cooled in August after a two-month World Cup-driven surge, according to Nielsen’s August 2026 Gauge and Media Distributor Gauge reports. Total TV usage fell 4.4%, reflecting the quiet period between the end of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in July and the start of the football season, along with the usual back-to-school drop among kids and teens. Although time spent declined across every Gauge category from July to August, both cable and streaming still gained share, reaching 18.9% and 49.6% of television, respectively.
Streaming usage was down 3.2% month-over-month, but the drop was smaller than the overall TV decline, so the category picked up 0.6 share points. YouTube crossed a critical threshold in August as the social video platform captured more than 15 percent of time spent with television in American households. YouTube stood out by setting a platform record at 15.8% of TV as its viewing rose 6%. While viewing among 6- to 17-year-olds faced back-to-school pressure, YouTube saw a 9% increase among adults 50 and older. Disney Streaming and Paramount Streaming each gained 0.1 share point, finishing at 4.8% and 2.3% of TV. Peacock slipped to 1.6% (−1.0 point) after Telemundo’s World Cup coverage and the latest season of Love Island USA ended in July, though it was still up 0.2 points from August 2025.
Media Distributor Gauge rankings also shifted in the post-World Cup lull. Disney added 0.4 share points and moved back into second place with 9.3% of total TV watch-time. Netflix rose to third with 7.7%, narrowly ahead of NBCU+Versant by 0.03 points. Paramount gained 0.3 points to reach fifth place at 6.8%, while FOX moved to sixth with 5.6%.
Broadcast viewing fell 14% from July as the category entered its typical August slowdown ahead of football season, finishing at 17.5% of TV (−2.0 share points). The absence of the World Cup drove a sharp drop in sports viewing, which accounted for less than 9% of broadcast usage in August versus 30% in July. Broadcast usage among Hispanic viewers also declined 30% in August after rising 30% from May to June and holding steady in July. Dramas and news made up 22% and 18% of broadcast viewing, respectively. News programming led the rankings, with ABC World News Tonight topping both the program and telecast lists. NBC’s NFL preseason coverage ranked sixth among broadcast telecasts, offering a preview of football’s return in September.
Cable usage declined 3% but still gained 0.2 share points to 18.9% of total TV watch-time. Cable sports viewing rebounded with a 26% increase, nearly offsetting July’s 27% drop. ESPN’s coverage of the North Carolina–TCU college football game on August 29 topped the cable telecast rankings. News remained cable’s largest genre at 25% of its viewing, compared with 8.2% for sports.
This is a Nielsen “Trended view: Share of TV trended” stacked bar chart showing how U.S. TV viewing time has shifted among four categories from August 2015 to August 2026:
- Streaming has steadily grown and is the clear majority share by August 2026 (49.6%).
- Broadcast and Cable have both declined over the long term, with Cable falling more sharply in recent years.
- Other has stayed relatively stable in the low-to-mid teens.
- The August 2026 figures line up with the earlier Nielsen Gauge pie chart you shared (Streaming 49.6%, Cable 18.9%, Broadcast 17.5%, Other 14.0%).