📊 IPTV Statistics 2026

How does the world use IPTV and streaming in 2026? Figures, trends and what the data tells us about the future of TV. These numbers are illustrative — gathered from public reports to show direction, not precise per-country counts.

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📺 The big numbers

68%
Of households use at least 1 streaming service (2026, illustrative)
€42
Average monthly spend on streaming services per household
-23%
Decline in cable-TV subscriptions across mature markets since 2020

📱 Which streaming services are used?

Netflix
78%
YouTube Premium
54%
Disney+
46%
Local on-demand
38%
Amazon Prime Video
32%
HBO Max / Max
28%
Local live TV
18%
Apple TV+
14%
Other / sport
8%

Penetration among households. Many people have several services.

🎯 Cord-cutting trend

2.1M
Cable TV subscribers (2020, sample operator)
1.4M
Cable TV subscribers (2026)
~50K
TV subscribers lost per quarter
€55
Avg. cable TV package price

📺 Viewing-time shift

Average TV viewing time per day per person (15+):

Live TV
1h26m
Streaming VOD
1h58m
YouTube
1h14m
TikTok / Reels
0h52m

Illustrative, based on aggregated audience-measurement and social-media trend reports.

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📱 Hardware penetration

82%
Smart TV ownership
34%
Has a streaming stick (Fire TV/Chromecast)
12%
Has an Apple TV
8%
Has an NVIDIA Shield / premium box
6%
Has a MAG / Formuler STB
3%
Has a NAS with Plex/Jellyfin

🌍 Internet speed

Average broadband download speed in a developed market (2026):

237 Mbps
Download (was 187 Mbps in 2022)
94%
Households with ≥50 Mbps
76%
Households with ≥100 Mbps
38%
Households with ≥500 Mbps
15%
Households with gigabit

Source: aggregated speed-test data + regulator reporting.

⚡ What we see EVERY second

  • 📺 millions of people are watching live TV right now
  • 🎬 even more are watching streaming content right now
  • 📡 huge volumes of streaming data consumed every second
  • ⏩ hundreds of Netflix sessions start per second at peak
  • 📱 several TiviMate sessions open per second at peak

Illustrative estimates based on the peak hour (8-9 pm).

🎯 By age group

Age% Live TV% StreamingCord-cutter %
13-178%92%n/a
18-2414%86%67%
25-3424%76%54%
35-4942%58%38%
50-6467%33%21%
65+83%17%8%

Cord-cutter = cancelled a traditional TV subscription.

📈 IPTV trends 2020-2026

2020
18%
2021
24%
2022
31%
2023
38%
2024
45%
2025
53%
2026
61%

% of households with some form of IPTV/streaming as their main source.

💰 Average monthly spend

Setup typePer monthPer year
Cable TV package only€55-€65€660-€780
Streaming bundle (Netflix + Disney+ + local on-demand)€29€348
IPTV provider subscription€10-€20€120-€240
Sport separately€31€372
Full cord-cutter setup€40-€60€480-€720

🔮 Predictions 2027-2030

  • 2027: Major cable operators below 1M TV subscribers
  • 2027: AV1 codec in 30% of streams
  • 2028: Self-hosted Jellyfin in 8% of tech-savvy households
  • 2028: Apple TV+ catches up with Disney+ on quality content
  • 2029: 5G fixed wireless access reaches 25% of households
  • 2030: <30% of households still have a cable-TV package

⚠️ Disclaimer about sources

The numbers on this page are a mix of:

  • Public reports (speed-test providers, audience-measurement bodies, telecom regulators, statistics offices)
  • Quarterly earnings reports from operators and streaming services
  • Streaming services' public statements
  • Industry estimates and trend extrapolations

For formal academic research, refer to the original sources. Our figures are indicative — meant to show trends, not for formal policy decisions.

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