TV Broadcasting NAICS 516120

Mar 16, 2026 - Streaming Remains Top TV Viewing Format

• Streaming remained the preferred TV viewing format in January 2026, accounting for 47% of usage, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge. Total television viewing hit a 12-month high in January due to win-or-go-home sporting situations, returning broadcast dramas, and colder winter temperatures that kept audiences indoors. YouTube remained in first place among streaming services, accounting for 12.5% of all viewing, down -0.2% from the previous month.
• Some broadcasters have had to cut local news or pursue mergers to maintain current levels of coverage, according to former Federal Communications Commissioner Robert McDowell. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has warned that heavily regulated local TV stations could disappear, has launched efforts to rebalance the regulatory asymmetry but it is unclear if antitrust regulators will agree with him that the video marketplace is sufficiently competitive to approve defensive mergers between even small local stations, according to the McDowell. Local TV newsrooms in small markets can cost $5 million to construct, with annual operating expenses starting at $500,000, but stations rely on shrinking advertising dollars and subscription fees to pay those expenses, according to BIA Advisory Services. Consumers have more programming choices than ever and advertisers see all video platforms as substitutes for traditional TV, according to National Economic Research Associates. TV broadcasters have only a 9.3% viewer share, according to BIA Advisory Services.

• Local news consumption is moving from broadcast technology to personalized, on-demand, over-the-top streaming, according to audience insights and data and analytics firm Nielsen. Local news apps on platforms like Roku, Samsung, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV are becoming a primary source of news and information, particularly for younger, “cord-cutting” audiences. Over half of US adults now get news through digital platforms like websites, apps, and social media, according to Nielsen.
• TV broadcasting industry employment and average wages for nonsupervisory employees increased slightly during the first eight months of 2025, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). TV broadcasting industry revenue decreased 0.3% year over year and 4.9% quarter over quarter during the second quarter of 2025, according to the US Census Bureau. TV broadcasters significantly decreased their prices during the first eight months of 2025, according to the BLS. Television broadcasters generate revenue primarily through advertising sales, which include on-air and digital media.