Industry
How We're Evaluating IPTV Providers in 2026
Our refreshed methodology for a market where providers come and go every quarter.
As of Q2 2026, traditional pay-TV subscriptions in the U.S. have fallen to roughly 48 million households, down from a 2013 peak above 100 million. According to Pew Research data summarized on Wikipedia, the share of U.S. adults who get news primarily from a television set dropped to 27% this spring, while smartphone-first news consumption climbed past 58%. Local broadcasters have responded by pushing free ad-supported streaming channels (FAST) onto Roku, Samsung TV Plus, and Pluto, and most national networks now publish breaking segments to YouTube within minutes of airing.
The shift is visible in the numbers we track for this guide: average time-to-publish for a major news clip on a streaming platform is now under 9 minutes, versus 34 minutes two years ago. Expect more movement this summer. The FCC is finalizing its updated broadcast ATSC 3.0 transition rules in July 2026, which will let over-the-air stations deliver IP-based news streams directly to compatible TVs. We'll refresh the channel list and device recommendations once those rules take effect, and we're already testing the first wave of ATSC 3.0 tuners shipping this quarter.
Latest developments in IPTV, streaming technology, and cord-cutting.
Our refreshed methodology for a market where providers come and go every quarter.