Major Live Sports Events Bolster Broadcast Viewing in Q2 2026

Nielsen: Ad-supported TV viewing slips during Q2

(Stock image) Ad-supported television accounted for 71.5 percent of total viewing in the second quarter of 2026, down 1.3 share points from the prior quarter, according to the latest edition of Nielsen’s “The Ad Supported Gauge.” The decline is typical for the period, with Nielsen citing seasonal patterns like lower broadcast TV viewing following the end of the traditional TV season and the wind-down of some premium sports programming carried on…

Major Live Sports Events Bolster Broadcast Viewing in Q2 2026

NEW YORK—Nielsen’s Q2 2026 edition of the Ad Supported Gauge shows that ad-supported TV captured a 71.5% share of total viewing, which represents a 1.3 share point decline from the first quarter of the year, and that live sports programming boosted broadcast’s share of ad-supported TV viewing. Broadcast viewing followed its typical seasonal decline from Q1 to Q2, though the drop was softer than the same period last year. Sports programming, nota…

Data: Ad supported TV 71.5% share of US viewing in Q2

Nielsen, the audience measurement specialist, has released the Q2 2026 edition of its Ad Supported Gauge. Overall in the second quarter, ad supported TV captured a 71.5 per cent share of total viewing in the US, which represents a 1.3 share point decline from the first quarter of the year. At the category level, broadcast […]

Ad-Supported Streaming Keeps Growing While Broadcast Falls

However, ad-supported TV viewership declined overall from the first quarter.