YouTube's Share of U.S. TV Usage Hits 15.8% — Nielsen Record

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YouTube Climbs to a Nielsen High of 15.8%

A current Nielsen figure makes YouTube the clear winner in TV presence: In the August 2026 edition of “The Gauge”, the platform reached 15.8% of the television usage measured in the United States. According to Tubefilter, this is the largest share ever recorded by YouTube in this measurement.

Netflix placed second with 7.7%. YouTube's share was therefore more than double Netflix's. The gap between the two platforms is thus clearly pronounced in this August edition.

“The Gauge” Measures Usage on Television Screens

Nielsen compiles “The Gauge” monthly and breaks down the usage measured on television screens in the United States by major media providers. The measurement therefore answers the question of how television time is distributed among the individual platforms and distributors—not how much time people spend with these services overall on other devices.

This is precisely why the comparison is meaningful for TV usage: YouTube was attributed 15.8% of the usage Nielsen measured on television screens. According to Tubefilter, the Google platform had generally been ahead of Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ in previous years. The August figure is therefore described as a particularly strong signal of this development.

Streaming Services Combined Account for Almost Half of TV Usage

Across all streaming services combined, the share is even larger: Almost half of the usage Nielsen recorded on television screens went to streaming services. The distinction is important: The nearly 50 percent refers to streaming as a category overall. The 15.8%, by contrast, refers to YouTube as an individual platform.

The precise statement is therefore: YouTube leads among the individual platforms, while streaming as a whole accounts for almost half of the measured television usage. This share does not, by any means, apply to YouTube alone—the lead over Netflix and the other providers remains clear.

What the Nielsen Figure Reveals About TV Presence

When comparing platforms by television time, a clear favorite emerges. YouTube is far ahead with 15.8%, while Netflix, at 7.7%, comes to less than half of YouTube's share.

The published figures, however, do not include a breakdown by format, individual title or audience group. They show how much television time was attributed to YouTube, Netflix and the other providers, but do not indicate which content triggered the August record.

For you, that means: YouTube has a measurably strong TV presence, and its lead over Netflix is unambiguous. This Nielsen figure alone does not reveal which content and which audience groups are behind it. The clear quantitative comparison is therefore robust, but an overall assessment of the platform is not.