Key Takeaways
- Streaming reached 48.5% of total TV viewing in Nielsen’s June Gauge.
- More than 3 in 10 U.S. households are now streaming-only, up 5 points from 2024.
- Streaming platforms generated $582.6M in national TV ad spend and media value during the first seven months of 2026.
- California regulators approved Charter’s $34.5B Cox deal with more than $300M in infrastructure and community commitments.
- Social media ranks first among channels receiving the largest share of marketers’ 2026 holiday budgets, cited by 68% of respondents, with performance TV and connected TV second at 54%
- Maryland’s digital ad tax was struck down, while California continues defending restrictions on algorithmic recommendations to minors.
What’s Moving the Digital Advertising World This Week
Streaming continues to command nearly half of TV viewing, cable companies keep consolidating, and regulators are still figuring out where digital advertising fits into all of it.
This week brought movement on all three fronts. Nielsen’s latest numbers put streaming at nearly half of all TV viewing, while Charter’s $34.5 billion Cox deal cleared another major regulatory hurdle in California.
And then there are the rules.
Maryland’s digital advertising tax was struck down, California is defending restrictions on how social platforms recommend content to minors, and broadcasters are pushing back against the FCC.
Here’s what marketers should know.
Streaming Hits 48.5% of Total Viewing — and 1 in 3 U.S. Households Have Cut the Cord Entirely
What Nielsen’s June Gauge Shows
Streaming is getting very close to owning half of the TV screen.
In Nielsen’s June Gauge, streaming accounted for 48.5% of total TV viewing. Broadcast made up 19.8%, while cable accounted for 19.5%.
That 48.5% figure is more than just another monthly fluctuation. Streaming usage increased about 3% from May, even though its overall share edged down by 0.1 percentage points because total TV usage grew slightly faster.
There’s another reason this particular report matters.
The June edition is expected to be the last Nielsen Gauge report using its legacy measurement tools. That makes the report something of a line in the sand as Nielsen moves toward newer measurement methods.
For advertisers, the bigger takeaway is simpler: streaming is no longer a secondary part of television. It’s almost half of it.
That changes how brands need to think about TV planning, reach, and where audiences are actually spending their time.
The Cord-Cutting Data Behind the Headline
The shift becomes even clearer when you look beyond viewing share.
More than 3 in 10 U.S. households are now streaming-only, according to data cited by Television News Daily. That’s a 5-point increase from the ARF DASH study in 2024.
In other words, cord-cutting isn’t simply continuing. It’s picking up speed.
For advertisers, that makes a CTV-first strategy harder to ignore. A growing share of households may never see a traditional cable or broadcast spot in the first place.
But that doesn’t mean linear TV suddenly stops mattering.
It means the two increasingly need to work together. A viewer might watch a broadcast event one night, stream a show the next, and switch between several devices without giving much thought to the difference.
The viewer sees one TV experience. Advertisers need to start thinking about it that way too.
Streamers Are Also Spending Big to Acquire Their Own Viewers
There’s an interesting twist to all this streaming growth: the platforms themselves are spending heavily to win those viewers.
Streaming services spent $583 million advertising their own platforms during the first seven months of 2026, according to data from iSpot.tv cited by Television News Daily. That’s $6.5 million more than during the same period in 2025.
So while streaming platforms continue fighting for audience share, they’re also competing for attention through advertising.
And that matters to marketers because it tells us something about the market.
Streaming isn’t just replacing traditional TV. It’s becoming a fiercely competitive advertising ecosystem of its own, with platforms willing to spend to bring viewers through their doors.
At the same time, consolidation is changing who controls the distribution.
California Clears the $34.5B Charter-Cox Merger — With Strings Attached
What the CPUC Approved
California regulators have given Charter’s $34.5 billion acquisition of Cox Communications the green light, clearing the last major hurdle in the state’s review of the deal.
The approval isn’t a blank check, though.
The California Public Utilities Commission attached several conditions, including at least $275 million for network upgrades, plus $30 million for digital inclusion programs and another $5 million for community development initiatives.
Put together, that’s more than $310 million in commitments tied to the California approval.
The merger is expected to create the largest internet and video provider in the U.S. by subscriber base.
What It Means for the Cable and Advertising Landscape
For advertisers, this is about more than two cable companies becoming one.
A larger combined operator means a bigger footprint across broadband, video, and local markets. That could have implications for how advertisers buy local inventory, negotiate distribution, and reach households across different TV environments.
There’s also a bigger trend worth watching.
Charter and Cox aren’t the only companies reshaping the traditional TV landscape. As audiences move toward streaming, the companies that control broadband and distribution are also looking for ways to strengthen their position.
So while streaming keeps taking viewing share, consolidation is happening on the other side of the screen, too.
Paramount Demands a $1.9B Bond From State AGs — California Calls It “Blackmail”
What Paramount Is Demanding
Paramount Skydance has asked a federal judge to require 12 states and the Writers Guild of America to post a $1.9 billion bond while they challenge its proposed Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition.
Why that much?
Paramount argues that the lawsuits are delaying the deal and creating potentially significant financial losses. One major cost is a so-called ticking fee of roughly $650 million per quarter if the merger remains unclosed after September 30.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta isn’t buying the argument. He called Paramount’s demand “Blackmail: The Sequel”, saying the companies agreed to the merger terms and its financial provisions themselves.
The judge will ultimately decide whether the plaintiffs have to post a bond and, if so, how much.
Why the Media Industry Is Watching This Closely
The dollar figure is eye-catching, but the bigger story is what the request could mean for future antitrust cases.
Companies facing regulatory challenges don’t usually get to shift the financial risk of litigation onto the government agencies or groups suing them. Paramount is arguing that the bond would protect it from losses if the challengers ultimately lose.
Whether the court agrees is the part worth watching.
For the media industry, it’s another sign that the fight over consolidation isn’t happening quietly. Companies, regulators, and state attorneys general are increasingly willing to take these battles all the way to court.
ABC Sues the FCC Over Free Speech Violations in Its Early Relicensing Process
What ABC Is Alleging
ABC, Disney, and eight ABC-owned stations have sued the FCC over an early review of their broadcast licenses, arguing that the process violates their First Amendment rights.
The licenses weren’t originally due for renewal until 2028 through 2031, making the FCC’s decision to begin reviewing them early an unusual move.
ABC says the review is part of a retaliatory campaign tied to its editorial content. The FCC, meanwhile, maintains that broadcasters must operate in the public interest.
The story has already moved beyond the initial lawsuit, too. A federal judge rejected Disney’s request for an expedited hearing on August 20. The court has directed both sides to file further briefs, with a hearing scheduled for early October.
The Broader FCC Conflict
This isn’t happening in isolation.
Broadcasters have been pushing back against several FCC actions and ownership-related issues, making this another front in a much larger fight over how much power regulators should have over media companies.
For advertisers, the immediate impact is less direct. But changes to broadcast ownership, licensing, and regulation can eventually affect the media environment brands rely on to reach audiences.
And with streaming already taking nearly half of TV viewing, the lines between traditional broadcasting, digital media, and connected TV are getting harder to ignore.
Early Holiday Predictions: Social Will Take 68% of Marketers’ Budgets, With TV Next
What the Early Forecasts Show
Holiday planning is already underway, and the early numbers show where marketers expect to put their money.
According to tvScientific’s 2026 holiday report, 68% of marketers plan to allocate budget to social media during the holiday season. Performance TV and connected TV come next at 54%, followed by online video at 44%.
That puts TV firmly in second place, but there’s an important detail here: the gap isn’t as wide as it might seem. Performance TV is being treated less like a traditional awareness channel and more like a measurable part of the performance mix.
And with consumers increasingly watching TV while scrolling, searching, and shopping, the overlap between these channels is only getting stronger.
What It Means for Holiday Planning Now
For brands, the takeaway isn’t simply “spend more on social.”
It’s about planning for how people actually shop during the holidays. A viewer might see a product on TV, check social media, search for reviews, and visit a website within minutes.
That makes the two-screen strategy particularly relevant as streaming and connected TV continue to grow.
California Is Defending Its Law Barring Algorithmic Recommendations to Minors — Platforms Say It’s Unconstitutional
California continues to push for tighter controls on how social platforms engage with younger users.
The state’s Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act limits platforms’ use of addictive algorithmic feeds and other features for minors. California says the law is intended to reduce harmful engagement patterns, while technology companies have challenged the restrictions on First Amendment grounds.
A federal judge recently declined to block the personalized-feed provisions, finding that the platforms had not shown at this stage that the features were likely protected expression.
What the Law Does
The law targets personalized and potentially addictive feeds that keep young users engaged.
California argues that platforms should not be able to use these features freely with minors. The companies, however, argue that controlling how they organize and recommend content can raise free speech concerns.
The dispute is still playing out in court, so the final rules advertisers will face are not settled yet.
Why Advertisers Should Pay Attention
This matters because changes to how platforms recommend and deliver content can eventually affect how brands reach younger audiences.
If platforms have to change recommendation systems, age-based experiences, or targeting practices, advertisers may have fewer ways to reach specific youth-adjacent audiences.
For now, though, this is a story to watch rather than a finished advertising rulebook.
Maryland’s Digital Ad Tax Is Struck Down — Google, Peacock, and Apple Are Owed Refunds
What the Court Ruled
Maryland’s Tax Court has struck down the state’s first-in-the-nation digital advertising tax and ordered refunds for taxes already paid by Apple, Google, and Peacock TV.
The tax, passed in 2021, applied to companies with more than $100 million in global annual revenue. Rates ranged from 2.5% to 10%, depending on company revenue.
The court found the law violated the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act as well as constitutional protections involving free speech, interstate commerce, and due process.
What It Means for the Industry
The ruling is a significant setback for states looking to tax digital advertising revenue.
Maryland had expected the tax to generate roughly $250 million a year for education, making the decision more than a technical tax dispute.
For digital advertisers and platforms, the bigger question is what happens next.
Other states watching Maryland’s experiment may now think twice before introducing similar taxes. Maryland officials have already indicated that the legal fight may continue, so this story isn’t necessarily over yet.
FAQs
What percentage of TV viewing is now streaming?
Streaming accounted for 48.5% of total TV viewing in June 2026, according to Nielsen’s Gauge. Broadcast and cable each accounted for less than 20%, showing just how quickly viewing habits have shifted toward streaming.
How many U.S. households are streaming-only in 2026?
More than 3 in 10 U.S. households are now streaming-only, according to the data cited in this week’s industry reporting. That’s a 5-point increase from the 2024 ARF DASH study, pointing to continued acceleration in cord-cutting.
What is the Charter-Cox merger and why does it matter?
Charter’s $34.5 billion acquisition of Cox would combine two major cable operators and create a much larger distribution footprint. California approved the deal with more than $300 million in infrastructure and community commitments, adding another major development to the changing TV landscape.
What did Maryland’s digital advertising tax ruling decide?
Maryland’s Tax Court struck down the state’s digital advertising tax and ordered refunds to Apple, Google, and Peacock. The court found that the 2021 tax violated federal and constitutional protections. The decision could influence how other states approach similar digital advertising taxes.
How much will marketers spend on social media during the 2026 holiday season?
tvScientific’s 2026 holiday research found that 68% of marketers plan to allocate budget to social media. Performance TV and connected TV ranked second at 54%, showing that TV remains a major part of holiday media planning.
What is California’s law on social media algorithms and minors?
California’s law restricts social platforms from using certain addictive features and personalized feeds with minors. Technology companies have challenged the rules on First Amendment grounds, but a federal judge recently declined to block the personalized-feed provisions while the case continues.
That’s Your Week in Digital Advertising
If there’s one theme running through this week’s news, it’s that the way people watch, buy, and discover brands keeps changing.
Streaming now accounts for nearly half of TV viewing. Cable companies are consolidating. Social still commands the biggest share of holiday budgets, while performance TV continues gaining ground.
Meanwhile, regulators and courts are drawing new lines around digital advertising, platform power, and how technology reaches consumers.
For brands, keeping up isn’t optional anymore. Stay ahead of the latest digital advertising shifts with TelNet Agency.
