Media War & Peace

Media War & Peace

2026: THE FUTURE OF TV IS HERE

The biggest shift in TV viewing is upon us

Evan Shapiro's avatar
Evan Shapiro
Dec 22, 2025
∙ Paid

Happy Monday Peaceniks. Ready for the future?

MY PREDICTION FOR THE SHARE OF TV CONSUMPTION FOR JULY OF 2026

It’s prediction time again.

A year ago, I made Ten Media Predictions for 2025. All ten came true - at least in some part. Three were mostly right. Six were home runs. Do not take my word for it. Look at my ten 2025 prognostications and see how I graded the results.

I did not make those predictions based on opinion - I made them based on data. I looked at trajectories and calculated outcomes. Generally, my forecasts were generalities: 2025 would be The Year of YouTube on TV (A+); The Year of The Creator (A+); A Shitty Year for Media Jobs (A+ unfortunately); A Huge Year for Live TV (A+).

Today, however, for my last post of the 2025, I’m making a set of specific projections about the American television ecosystem, all wrapped inside one big 2026 Media Prediction…

By the summer of 2026, streaming will surpass 50% of US television consumption; YouTube will surpass all the broadcast ne…

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