• by Wayne Friedman , 7 hours ago

YouTube continues to grow its share of total TV/streaming viewers by a media distributor -- with 13.4%, up a full share point versus the same time period a year ago, according to Nielsen's Media Distributor Index.

At the same time, Walt Disney slipped around half a share point to 10.3% (vs. 10.7%). NBCUniversal/Versant Media remained the same with a combined 8.2% share. Breaking this down, NBCU was 5.9% and Versant Media, the former NBCU cable network, was at 2.3%.

Paramount Skydance slipped a full share point to 7.9% (from 8.9%) while Netflix rose to 7.8% (from 7.5%), followed by Fox Corp at 6.9%, up from 6.8%.

Looking ahead, Fox's proposed acquisition of Roku would give the combined company a 9.9% share -- to land in third place behind Disney. A year ago, a combined Fox Corp./Roku would have landed at 9.2%.

Nielsen also released its monthly “Gauge” total TV viewing for April 2026, which examines specific types of platforms (broadcast, cable and streaming) and individual streaming platforms.

Streaming was at 47.6% (vs. 44.3% a year ago), and cable networks came in at 21.6% (vs. 24.5% in April 2025)).

Broadcast slipped below 20% for the first time -- to 19.9% (vs. 20.8% the year before). Broadcast drama was the most-watched genre within the overall drama category, with a 28% share. CBS’ “Tracker” and “Marshals” and ABC’s “High Potential” were top performers.

Cable was strongest with viewing from the closing days of NCAA’s “March Madness” event, Masters golf tournament, NBA playoffs.

Streaming platforms posting month-to-month growth included YouTube, Prime Video, Tubi, and Warner Bros. Discovery streaming platforms (HBO Max, discovery+).

Nielsen says the Gauge and its Media Distributor Index have not yet shifted to account for the ARF DASH-based media-related universe estimates. That release is scheduled to start up this fall.