Ask most people to name the most popular streaming services in America and Netflix comes up first. On the TV screen, though, the data tells a different story. As first reported by Engadget, Nielsen’s July 2026 figures put a free, ad-supported platform well ahead of every subscription rival.
That platform is YouTube. It took 14.2 percent of all US television viewing in July, nearly twice Netflix’s 7.8 percent. Among the most popular streaming services measured by TV time, it’s the clear leader, and the gap is wide enough to change how you might think about where attention actually goes.
Key Takeaways
- YouTube leads as the most popular streaming service in America, capturing 14.2% of TV viewing in July 2026, compared to Netflix’s 7.8%.
- Free ad-supported platforms like Tubi and The Roku Channel outperform traditional subscription services in viewer hours.
- The Nielsen report focuses on time spent viewing, not app downloads or subscribers, emphasizing viewer habits over brand recognition.
- Peacock maintains strong viewership despite ranking sixth, boosted by events like the World Cup and popular shows.
- Advertisers and content partners should prioritize time spent over subscriber counts to understand trends in the most popular streaming services.
Table of contents
How the most popular streaming services rank on TV
The numbers come from Nielsen’s The Gauge, which measures time spent watching on a television set. It doesn’t count subscribers, app downloads or phone viewing. In July, streaming made up 49 percent of all TV time.
Here’s how the top of the July list looked:
- YouTube: 14.2 percent
- Netflix: 7.8 percent
- Disney’s services (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+): 4.7 percent
- Prime Video: 4.2 percent
- The Roku Channel: 2.9 percent
- Peacock: 2.6 percent
- Paramount’s services (including Paramount+ and Pluto TV): 2.2 percent
- Tubi: 2 percent
- Warner Bros. Discovery’s services (HBO Max and discovery+): 1.4 percent
One detail matters for anyone reading these figures closely. Live channels watched through YouTube TV count as broadcast or cable viewing, not streaming. So the paid live TV product doesn’t pad YouTube’s share, which makes the lead more notable.
Free apps are outpacing bigger names
The Roku Channel finished ahead of Peacock, and Tubi beat the combined Warner Bros. Discovery services, HBO Max included. Neither Roku nor Tubi charges for its core catalog. Viewers get live channels, shows and movies, and they accept ads in return.
That’s a meaningful result for the most popular streaming services conversation. Brand recognition and marketing budgets don’t automatically translate into hours spent on the couch. Easy access, a deep library and a price of zero seem to count for a lot.
Some Tubi viewers on Reddit have said they keep coming back for older shows and hard-to-find movies. Others have voiced concern that the ad load could grow. That tension is worth watching, since ads are the whole bargain for free services.
Reading the bundled numbers behind the most popular streaming services
The comparison isn’t perfectly even. Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery each have several services rolled into a single line. The Roku Channel and Tubi are each counted on their own.
So when Tubi edges past Warner Bros. Discovery, it’s beating a group of services, not one app. Even so, a single free platform outperforming a pair of well-known paid brands says something about viewer habits. It’s also a reminder to check how any ranking was built before drawing conclusions.
The July snapshot also predates a major corporate change. Paramount, now Skydance, acquired Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6. Future Gauge reports may group those services differently, so the next set of rankings could look quite different on paper.
Peacock had a strong month anyway
Sitting sixth among the most popular streaming services on TV didn’t stop Peacock from having a good July. Its TV viewing rose 15 percent from June. World Cup coverage helped, and Love Island USA logged 4.9 billion viewing minutes in the month.
Nielsen also said it was still assessing the effect of a June change in how it measures Tubi. That caveat is small but real. Measurement tweaks can nudge a platform’s share, and Tubi’s position may shift as the effect becomes clearer.
Free doesn’t mean no revenue
The platforms leading the most popular streaming services list don’t all make money the same way. Tubi has no paid subscription. Roku sells optional subscriptions to other streaming services, and its free channel is available in a browser or on compatible Samsung and Fire TV devices, so you don’t need Roku hardware.
YouTube has plenty of ways to earn from viewers beyond ads. You can rent or buy movies, subscribe to YouTube Premium or pay for creator memberships. Netflix leans mainly on recurring plans, while Prime Video offers rentals and add-on channel subscriptions.
YouTube’s podcast numbers show how quickly habits are moving. It reported more than 700 million hours of podcasts watched on living-room devices in October 2025, up from 400 million a year earlier. Audio shows are becoming TV content, and that helps explain how a creator-focused service competes so well against traditional entertainment brands.
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The corporate map is changing too. Fox already owns Tubi, and in June it agreed to acquire Roku in a deal valued at about $22 billion. Roku confirmed on October 19 that the transaction was still pending. If it closes, Fox would control two of the most popular streaming services on TV by viewing time, and both are free.
For business leaders, the takeaway is practical. Advertisers, content partners and competitors tracking the most popular streaming services should look at time spent, not just subscriber counts. On TV, the most-watched options in July included free, ad-supported platforms, and that is where a growing share of viewer attention sits.
The next few Gauge reports will show whether July was a blip or a pattern. Watch how Nielsen handles the merged Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery services, and whether Tubi and The Roku Channel keep their spots. Those answers will shape how the most popular streaming services are ranked, and who gets paid for the attention.
Source: Engadget – Technology News & Expert Reviews
