RESTON, Va., Oct. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comscore (Nasdaq: SCOR) today launched a new monthly Score Report highlighting Share of Ad Exposure Time trends across television viewing platforms. This important TV measurement metric shows the percentage of total TV Ad Exposure Time attributed to each provider. Beyond viewership, Share of Ad Exposure offers insight into where ads are shown, giving advertisers and content providers the intelligence they need to reach new and varied audiences and to make more informed decisions about their media investments.
The report shows that Share of Ad Exposure is highest among broadcast platforms (43.2%) followed by cable (34.5%) and finally streaming (22.3%). This contrasts with viewership trends showing that over 74% of U.S. households stream on Connected TV1. Further, 130.6 million U.S. adults used a free or ad-supported streaming video service in the three months prior to August 2026, representing 47% of the total U.S. adult population2. Given this gap, while broadcast - with its well-understood formats and measurement - is still favored by many brands, an opportunity exists for advertisers to capitalize on existing and emerging streaming opportunities.
Streaming Growth Continues
Over the 12 months ending in August 2026, streaming’s share of measured television Ad Exposure has steadily climbed from 16.1% to 22.3%, a gain of 6.2 percentage points. Beginning in February, it accounted for at least one-fifth of measured ad exposure every month, following a plateau of around 19% during the preceding five months.
Streaming Players Battle Over Ad Exposure Time
While YouTube and Tubi TV consistently nab the top two spots for Share of Ad Exposure Time across streaming providers, the third spot frequently changes hands. In August, Hulu came in third with 8.5%, but the number three spot has been held by Peacock (July, 7.2%), Netflix (June, 8.0%) and Amazon Prime Video (May, 7.4%). This may have been due to Hulu’s significant expansion of its ad-supported streaming catalog in August 2026 with a wave of popular films, nostalgic favorites, and acclaimed documentaries. Many other providers are following suit, so it is likely that competition for attention will continue to be fierce.
Viewership Alone Falls Short of Providing Advertising Insight
“The Score Report measures where audiences are actually reachable with advertising and gives brands an understanding of how ad viewership is changing as the media landscape continues to transform,” said Kevin Burns, interim Chief Revenue Officer at Comscore. “The report seeks to address the challenge of viewership no longer serving as a sufficient proxy for ad-addressable audiences, as audiences migrate across channels, platforms, and devices.”
“Nexstar welcomes greater transparency into how advertising reaches audiences across broadcast TV, cable, and streaming,” said Dan Lanzano, President, National Ad Sales, Nexstar. “By providing a clearer picture of advertising exposure across platforms, The Score Report delivers valuable insights that empower advertisers to make more informed investment decisions and better understand the evolving media landscape.”
Summary of Findings from the August 2026 Score Report
- In August, broadcast platforms saw the lion’s share of ad exposure at 43.2%, followed by cable at 34.5% and streaming at 22.3%.
- Ad exposure on streaming is on the rise, shifting from cable. Streaming represented 22.3% of Total U.S. Share of Ad Exposure Time in August, up from 21.9% in July and 21.1% in June.
- YouTube led streaming advertising exposure, representing 44.4% of measured streaming Ad Exposure Time, followed by Tubi at 11.6% and Hulu at 8.5%.
New editions of The Score Report will be published monthly. The August 2026 report is available at https://core.comscore.com/articles/The-Score-Report/.
- Source: Comscore CTV Intelligence™, U.S. - August 2026
- Comscore Digital Plan Metrix Multi-Platform, Base: P18+, Standard Target: Free or ad-supported streaming video services (streaming video services/last 3 mo) - August 2026
About Comscore
Comscore is a trusted global partner for planning, activating, and evaluating media across platforms. Its unmatched data footprint brings together Connected TV (CTV), digital, national and local linear TV intelligence with advanced audience insights to help media buyers and sellers understand how audiences engage across screens and make business decisions with confidence. Comscore is a preeminent provider of independent, comprehensive cross-platform measurement and decisioning solutions designed to improve outcomes at scale.
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