YouTube Is Leaving Netflix in the Dust: The Latest Nielsen Gauge Shows a Streaming Gap That Keeps Growing

For years, Netflix was the face of streaming, the service everyone measured themselves against. The latest edition of the Nielsen Gauge suggests the conversation has shifted to a platform that doesn’t produce a single scripted series. YouTube is no longer just a rival for attention but the clear leader in how Americans spend time in front of their TVs.

Nielsen‘s monthly report tracks the share of total TV viewing across broadcast, cable and individual streaming platforms. August was a quiet month, coming between the conclusion of the World Cup in July and the start of football season, with kids and teens heading back to school. Total TV usage fell 4.4%, and streaming usage fell 3.2%.

That’s the backdrop for a result that makes YouTube’s performance look even stronger. YouTube captured 15.8% of all TV viewing in August, a platform record, compared to 13.1% in August last year. Netflix, meanwhile, fell to 7.7% from 8.7% a year ago.

YouTube is pulling further away from Netflix in latest Nielsen Gauge report, luring 15.8% of viewing (vs. 13.1% last August) compared to 7.7% for Netflix (8.7% last August)… https://t.co/BInieWhKXB

— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) October 22, 2026

While most of the TV landscape cooled off, YouTube’s viewing climbed 6% for the month. It also benefited from a 9% increase in viewing among adults 50 and older, which helped it offset the usual back-to-school drop among younger viewers. In previous years, that seasonal dip has dented YouTube’s numbers, but this time it didn’t.

The gap with Netflix has been widening all summer. In the July report, YouTube led individual streaming platforms with 14.2% of TV viewing, nearly double Netflix’s 7.8%. With August’s numbers, YouTube’s share is now more than twice Netflix’s.

Netflix’s slide from 8.7% to 7.7% is a full point in a year. Analysts have noted that its share tends to pulse with its content calendar, while YouTube’s has been grinding steadily upward as viewing shifts to the living room. Without a big hit, Netflix’s numbers can sag.

Behind the top two, the rest of the field is much more crowded. Disney’s streaming services, which include Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu, combined for 4.8%, followed by Prime Video at 4.2%, The Roku Channel at 2.9% and Paramount at 2.3%. Tubi took 1.9%, Peacock 1.6% and Warner Bros. Discovery 1.4%, while other streaming services accounted for 7.1%.

Among media distributors, Disney returned to the No. 2 spot with a 9.3% share of TV viewing, trailing only YouTube.

Streaming Edges Closer to Half of All TV

Streaming as a category captured 49.6% of TV viewing, gaining 0.6 share points over July even though usage declined. Cable held 18.9% after a 26% rebound in sports viewing, broadcast came in at 17.5%, and the other category made up 14.0%. It’s a reminder that nearly half of everything Americans watch on a TV screen now runs through a streaming app.

The August numbers don’t reflect a one-time methodology adjustment that will kick in starting with Nielsen’s September figures. Some analysts have suggested the recalibrated estimates will show streaming having less dominance against broadcast and cable. The Gauge also covers people ages 2 and up, which analysts say skews toward streaming compared with adults only, and it doesn’t reflect Nielsen’s currency ratings.

That means the exact percentages could look different once the new method arrives. Still, the direction of travel is hard to ignore, and YouTube’s record month is the clearest sign yet of how much the TV screen has changed.

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