Global online video revenue passed pay-TV revenue for the first time in 2025, $176 billion against $170 billion, based on Omdia data published in June 2026. Streaming also took 48.6% of U.S. TV watch-time in May 2026, a Nielsen record. This post collects verified 2026 figures on streaming revenue, viewing share, platform results, advertising, churn, and music subscriptions, each with its source and period.
Streaming Industry Statistics 2026
Streaming Industry Revenue vs Pay-TV
Omdia’s TV and Video market data, published June 1, 2026, put full-year 2025 online video revenue at $176 billion, up 13.5%, while pay-TV revenue fell 4% to $170 billion. Both figures cover subscription and transactional revenue and exclude advertising.
Subscriptions tell the same story. Online video reached 2.24 billion subscriptions at end-2025, up 17.6% from 1.9 billion in 2024, while pay-TV declined 1.8% to 1.03 billion, leaving online video with 68.4% of the combined 3.3 billion base.
| Global metric, full-year 2025 | Value | Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Online video subscriptions | 2.24 billion | +17.6% |
| Pay-TV subscriptions | 1.03 billion | -1.8% |
| Online video revenue (subscription + transactional) | $176 billion | +13.5% |
| Pay-TV revenue (subscription + transactional) | $170 billion | -4.0% |
Source: Omdia TV & Video market data, full-year 2025, published June 1, 2026
Omdia practice leader Adam Thomas attributed the subscription surge to subsidized ad-tier plans sold through telcos and pay-TV operators, which is also why subscriptions grew faster than revenue. The firm forecasts online video subscription growth of 5.6% for full-year 2026. A wider set of market-size estimates sits in Quantumrun’s video streaming market statistics.
How Much of U.S. TV Viewing Is Streaming?
Nielsen’s May 2026 Gauge, released July 28, 2026, measured streaming at 48.6% of total U.S. TV watch-time, up 1.0 point from April and up from 44.8% in May 2025. Cable took 20.4% and broadcast 19.2%, so streaming outdrew both linear formats combined.
Streaming Platform Shares Of TV Watch-Time
Within the Gauge’s streaming category, YouTube recorded a platform-best 13.8% of TV watch-time in May 2026 and posted the month’s largest share gain at +0.4 points. Prime Video hit its best month on record at 4.5%, lifted by the closing episodes of The Boys, the month’s most-streamed title at 5 billion viewing minutes, plus 20 live sports events including NBA Playoff games.
| Streaming platform | Share of U.S. TV watch-time, May 2026 |
|---|---|
| YouTube | 13.8% |
| Netflix | 8.0% |
| Disney | 4.9% |
| Prime Video | 4.5% |
| The Roku Channel | 3.1% |
| Tubi | 2.3% |
| Paramount | 2.3% |
| Peacock | 1.8% |
| Warner Bros. Discovery | 1.5% |
Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, May 2026 (interval 04/27/2026 to 05/31/2026)
Nielsen’s separate Media Distributor Gauge, which credits viewing across a company’s full portfolio, ranked YouTube first at 13.8%, Disney second at 10.0%, NBCU plus Versant third at 8.4%, and Netflix fourth at 8.0% for May 2026. Nielsen has also said Gauge methodology updates begin this fall, so current shares may be restated.
Streaming Industry Statistics By Platform
Netflix reported Q2 2026 revenue of $12.56 billion, up 13.4%, with operating income of $4.19 billion and a 33.4% operating margin. It narrowed full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $51.0 to $51.4 billion and kept its 31.5% margin target.
Growth was slowest at home. Netflix’s Q2 2026 revenue rose 10% in the U.S. and Canada against 21% in Latin America, 16% in Asia-Pacific, and 14% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, per its quarterly filing.
Disney+ and Hulu combined grew operating income 88% to $582 million in the quarter ended March 2026, and Disney guided to a streaming operating margin of at least 10% for fiscal 2026, as reported by TheWrap from company earnings.
Warner Bros. Discovery passed 140 million streaming subscribers in Q1 2026 and is targeting more than 150 million by year end, with streaming profit up 29% to $438 million in the quarter.
Peacock posted its first quarterly profit, $189 million in Q2 2026, on revenue of $1.9 billion versus $1.2 billion a year earlier, and added 2 million paid subscribers to reach 48 million, per Comcast. Paramount+ ended Q1 2026 with 79.6 million subscribers, up 700,000 in the quarter, on revenue of $1.97 billion, up 17%.
Netflix, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery no longer disclose subscriber counts every quarter, which is why platform comparisons now mix revenue and subscriber metrics. Prime Video’s parent-company economics are covered in Quantumrun’s Amazon statistics.
Ad-Supported Streaming Industry Statistics
2026 is the first year U.S. CTV upfront ad commitments exceed primetime linear TV upfront spending, $17.73 billion against $16.98 billion, per eMarketer. The same firm projects U.S. CTV ad spend at roughly $37.95 billion for 2026, up about 15%, and expects CTV to pass all traditional TV ad spending around 2028.
Netflix said in its Q2 2026 earnings that its ads business remains on track for approximately $3 billion in revenue this year. Antenna counts more than 110 million ad-supported streaming plans in the U.S., excluding Prime Video, and estimates that 72% of premium SVOD individuals hold at least one ad plan: 40% mix ad-free and ad-supported plans, and 32% take only ad-supported plans.
Streaming Industry Churn Statistics
Antenna’s Q1 2026 State of Subscriptions report recorded U.S. premium SVOD subscriber growth of 7% in 2025, the category’s first single-digit year, down from 12% in 2024. The weighted average monthly churn rate held at 4.6% across 2025.
| U.S. premium SVOD metric | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Gross additions | 44.1 million | Q1 2026 |
| Cancellations | 40.8 million | Q1 2026 |
| Net additions | 3.2 million | Q1 2026 |
| Share of 2025 gross additions from Q4 | 31% | Full-year 2025 |
| Share of 2025 net additions from Q4 | 57% | Full-year 2025 |
Source: Antenna, Q1’26 State of Subscriptions and Antenna Insights
Cancellations offset most sign-ups outside the fourth quarter, and Q4 alone delivered 57% of 2025’s net additions on the strength of Black Friday pricing and tentpole releases. Event programming still moves subscribers: FOX One, holder of exclusive U.S. English-language World Cup streaming rights, recorded 2.8 million sign-ups in June 2026, its largest month since launching in August 2025, per Antenna estimates.
Music Streaming Industry Statistics
Global recorded music revenue reached $31.7 billion in 2025, up 6.4% and above $30 billion for the first time, according to IFPI’s Global Music Report 2026, published March 18, 2026. It was the industry’s eleventh consecutive year of growth.
| Global recorded music metric, 2025 | Value |
|---|---|
| Total recorded music revenue | $31.7 billion, +6.4% |
| Total streaming revenue (paid + ad-supported) | More than $22 billion, 69.6% of total |
| Paid subscription streaming revenue | 52.4% of total, +8.8% |
| Paid subscription accounts | 837 million |
| Fastest-growing region | Latin America, +17.1% |
Source: IFPI Global Music Report 2026, full-year 2025 data
Net additions of paid subscription accounts are slowing: 94 million in 2022, 77 million in 2023, 84 million in 2024, and 73 million in 2025, based on IFPI figures compiled by Music Business Worldwide.
FAQs
How big is the streaming industry in 2026?
Global online video revenue reached $176 billion in 2025, passing pay-TV’s $170 billion for the first time, on 2.24 billion subscriptions, per Omdia. Omdia forecasts 5.6% subscription growth for 2026.
Is streaming really bigger than cable, as Reddit cord-cutting threads claim?
Yes. Reddit cord-cutting discussions match Nielsen’s data: streaming took 48.6% of U.S. TV watch-time in May 2026, more than cable (20.4%) and broadcast (19.2%) combined.
Which streaming service gets the most watch-time?
YouTube, at a platform-best 13.8% of U.S. TV watch-time in May 2026, per Nielsen. Netflix followed at 8.0%, then Disney at 4.9% and Prime Video at 4.5%.
Why do Reddit users complain about cancelling and resubscribing so often?
The churn data backs the Reddit habit: Antenna recorded 44.1 million gross additions and 40.8 million cancellations across U.S. premium SVOD in Q1 2026, with monthly churn averaging 4.6% in 2025.
How many people pay for music streaming?
IFPI counts 837 million paid music subscription accounts worldwide at end-2025, up 73 million in a year. Paid subscriptions generated 52.4% of the industry’s $31.7 billion in 2025 revenue.
Sources
With many years of professional experience within transnational corporations in different industries, Richard Jaimes has had the opportunity to lead people and organizations, investigate future topics, create strategies and innovations, consult senior management and translate insights into business advantages. Richard is also a long time senior consultant with Quantumrun Foresight.
