With so many platforms competing for attention, advertisers face an ongoing question: Where does media truly perform?Followed closely by the question: is linear TV dead?
A newly released 2026 Media Comparisons Study surveyed more than 4,000 U.S. adults to evaluate media usage, reach, time spent, and trust across traditional and digital platforms. The goal was simple—understand where consumers actually spend time, what they trust, and what motivates them to act.
While no single study should dictate your entire strategy, the findings provide meaningful insights for brands planning their 2026 media mix.
Linear TV Still Delivers the Broadest Reach
Despite ongoing growth in streaming and digital platforms, television continues to lead in total audience reach.
Key findings include:
- TV reaches more adults than any other platform studied
- Consumers spend more total time with television than with other media
- Broadcast television assets can reach up to 9 out of 10 key audience segments
- Broadcast combined with digital extensions increases incremental reach more effectively than cable alone
For advertisers focused on scale, this matters. Broad awareness campaigns, product launches, recruitment efforts, and major promotions all rely on efficient reach. Television continues to deliver.
Linear TV Remains the Core Viewing Environment
While streaming is frequently discussed as the dominant force, the study found that most time spent watching TV programs is still on linear television.
Across all devices—including smart TVs and digital screens—broadcast TV accounts for the largest share of viewing time. In fact, when isolating ad-supported long-form content, linear TV represents the majority of total viewing time.
Additionally, broadcast viewing primarily occurs on the larger TV screen. By contrast, over half of viewing time on platforms like YouTube happens on smaller devices such as phones and tablets.
For brands investing in high-quality creative, screen size and viewing environment influence impact. Big screens still create big presence.
Broadcast and Streaming Are Not Competing — They’re Complementary
One of the most important takeaways from the research is that broadcast and streaming should not be viewed as either/or decisions.
Instead, they function best together.
Consider these findings:
- Broadcast reaches the vast majority of households that also stream ad-supported content
- Advertisers cannot reach consumers who choose ad-free streaming tiers
- Broadcast remains one of the few ways to access audiences beyond walled digital ecosystems
In other words, streaming can add frequency and precision, but removing broadcast may limit overall reach potential.
A balanced, integrated approach continues to produce the strongest outcomes.
Trust: Local Broadcast Leads the Pack
In a fragmented media environment, trust plays a critical role in advertising effectiveness.
When respondents were asked which news sources they trust, local broadcast television ranked highest. It outperformed:
- Local newspapers
- Radio
- Cable news
- Podcasts
- Social media platforms
- News aggregator websites
Social media, in particular, ranked significantly lower in trust compared to local broadcast.
For advertisers in categories like legal, healthcare, financial services, automotive, and home improvement, contextual trust can influence brand perception. Appearing within trusted environments contributes to message credibility.
This is one of the reasons ADsmith continues to advocate for placement in high-performing local programming. The numbers we analyze internally consistently reinforce that viewership is strong among local news broadcasts.
Television Drives Online Research
One of the most actionable insights from the study involves consumer behavior after exposure to TV advertising.
More than half of adults reported that a television advertisement motivated them to go online for additional information about a product or service.
Among certain categories, that number increases:
- Higher education prospects
- Car buyers
- Home remodelers
- Job seekers
- Legal service seekers
This emphasizes a key strategic truth: television frequently initiates the customer journey, while digital channels capture intent and complete the action.
Rather than competing with digital, television often fuels it.
What This Means for Advertisers
Media strategy should never be driven by trends alone. It should be driven by performance objectives.
The study highlights several realities:
- Large-screen viewing remains dominant
- Broadcast continues to provide scale
- Trust varies significantly by platform
- TV advertising influences online behavior
For many brands, the most effective plan will include:
- Broadcast television for reach and brand authority
- Streaming for incremental audience layering
- Paid search and digital to capture active demand
- Social for engagement and frequency
The goal is not to favor one channel over another. The goal is to align platforms with outcomes.
Building a Smarter 2026 Media Strategy
The media landscape will continue to evolve. But the fundamentals remain consistent: attention, credibility, and action drive results.
As you evaluate your 2026 marketing plan, the question isn’t whether digital matters—it does. The question is whether your media mix is optimized to maximize reach, reinforce trust, and drive measurable engagement.
If you’d like to review how broadcast, streaming, and digital can work together to support your growth goals, let’s start that conversation. At ADsmith, we build media strategies designed for performance—not hype.