Each month, Nielsen breaks down U.S. watch time on TV screens across all major media distributors. That particular measurement is known as The Gauge, and in recent years, it has shown favorable results for YouTube. Google’s video platform typically leads rivals like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ by claiming the biggest watch time share of any single distributor.
Even with that context in mind, in the August 2026 edition of The Gauge, YouTube had an especially strong showing. It claimed its biggest watch time share ever — 15.8% — as streaming platforms accounted for nearly half of the TV screen traffic recorded by Nielsen.
Netflix ranked second in the latest Gauge report with a 7.7% share of U.S. watch time on TV screens. Even if you were to double that percentage, YouTube’s share would still be higher.
YouTube’s strong performance is particular notable because it came amid an overall watch time downturn. U.S. TV usage fell by 4.4% between July and August as the World Cup ended and students went back to school.
In previous years, back-to-school season has put a dent in YouTube’s numbers, but that wasn’t the case in August 2026. It would seem that YouTube’s gains among older audiences are paying off. As seniors watch more YouTube on TV screens and consume more podcasts, they are accounting for a larger share of the platform’s overall audience. YouTube viewership among users age 50 and over was up 9% in the latest edition of The Gauge.
The NFL’s impact on those numbers can’t be understated. YouTube carries the NFL Sunday Ticket package, which brings in millions of fans between September and December. Sports packages have previously had significant effects on The Gauge, and the NFL is the most-watched sport in the U.S.
That’s why the distribution of the 2030 World Cup broadcast rights will be so crucial. Those negotiations are now underway, and if YouTube can land another coup in the sports world, its 15.8% audience share might not be a record for long.
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