Live TV streaming services in the United States:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, YouTube TV was the most searched live TV streaming service in the United States, accounting for 70.9% of all searches among the six services we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, YouTube TV, Sling TV and Philo showed up in every answer. YouTube TV was recommended most often, coming first in four out of five responses.
YouTube TVShare of searches 70.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
FuboShare of searches 14.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
Sling TVShare of searches 6.4%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
HuluShare of searches 4.3%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
DIRECTV STREAMShare of searches 2.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
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Top live TV streaming services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, YouTube TV, Sling TV and Philo appeared every time. YouTube TV was recommended most often, coming first in four out of five answers. Sling TV was second, and Hulu was third.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- YouTube TV1st
- Sling TV2nd
- Hulu3rd
Philo4th- Fubo5th
- DIRECTV STREAM6th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- YouTube TV5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Sling TV5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Philo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Fubo4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Hulu4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- DIRECTV STREAM2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about live TV streaming services
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which live TV streaming service should I get in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best live TV streaming services in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the cheapest live TV streaming service in the US with sports?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“live tv streaming”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cable alternatives”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.
Which live TV streaming services do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each live TV streaming service by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six live TV streaming services we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for YouTube TV, Fubo, Sling TV, Hulu, DIRECTV STREAM. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | YouTube TV | Fubo | Sling TV | Hulu | DIRECTV STREAM | Philo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 59.8% | 14.6% | 9.8% | 9.8% | 3.6% | 2.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 51.9% | 19% | 10.4% | 12.7% | 3.8% | 2.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 59.4% | 14.5% | 9.8% | 9.8% | 3.6% | 3% |
| Jan 2026 | 59% | 17.6% | 9.6% | 7.9% | 2.9% | 3% |
| Feb 2026 | 67.7% | 11.1% | 7.4% | 7.4% | 3.3% | 2.9% |
| Mar 2026 | 58.8% | 14.3% | 6.5% | 14.3% | 3.5% | 2.5% |
| Apr 2026 | 63.2% | 15.5% | 8.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 3.3% |
| May 2026 | 67.3% | 13.5% | 7.4% | 5% | 3.3% | 3.5% |
| Jun 2026 | 65.4% | 19.5% | 5.9% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2.7% |
| Jul 2026 | 64% | 19.1% | 5.8% | 4.7% | 3.1% | 3.4% |
| Aug 2026 | 64.7% | 15.8% | 7.1% | 5.8% | 3.2% | 3.4% |
| Sep 2026 | 70.9% | 14.2% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 70.9% | 7.5M | +82.9% | +6.2 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 14.2% | 1.5M | +50% | -1.6 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 6.4% | 673K | +49.6% | -0.7 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 4.3% | 450K | +22.3% | -1.6 points | |
| 5, moved from 6th to 5th | 2.3% | 246K | +22.4% | -0.8 pointsmoved from 6th to 5th | |
| 6, moved from 5th to 6th | 1.9% | 206K | -4.2% | -1.4 pointsmoved from 5th to 6th |
70.9%
Held 1st. 7.5M estimated branded searches, +82.9% vs prior month. Share +6.2 points.
2.
Fubo14.2%
Held 2nd. 1.5M estimated branded searches, +50% vs prior month. Share -1.6 points.
3.
Sling TV6.4%
Held 3rd. 673K estimated branded searches, +49.6% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.
4.
Hulu4.3%
Held 4th. 450K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share -1.6 points.
2.3%
Moved from 6th to 5th. 246K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.
6.
Philo1.9%
Moved from 5th to 6th. 206K estimated branded searches, -4.2% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among live TV streaming services in the United States?
6 brands
In September 2026, YouTube TV was the most searched among live TV streaming services in the United States, with an estimated 7.5M branded searches, 70.9% of all searches for the six we track. Fubo is in 2nd place, 56.7 percentage points behind at 14.2%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | 59.8% → 70.9% | 70.9%Sep 2026 | 51.9%Nov 2025 | 1st |
| Fubo | 14.6% → 14.2% | 19.5%Jun 2026 | 11.1%Feb 2026 | 2nd |
| Sling TV | 9.8% → 6.4% | 10.4%Nov 2025 | 5.8%Jul 2026 | 4th → 3rd |
| Hulu | 9.8% → 4.3% | 14.3%Mar 2026 | 3.9%Jun 2026 | 3rd → 4th |
| DIRECTV STREAM | 3.6% → 2.3% | 3.8%Nov 2025 | 2.3%Sep 2026 | 5th |
| Philo | 2.5% → 1.9% | 3.5%May 2026 | 1.9%Sep 2026 | 6th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YouTube TV’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States increased from 59.8% to 70.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sling TV’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States decreased from 9.8% to 6.4%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hulu’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States decreased from 9.8% to 4.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DIRECTV STREAM’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States decreased from 3.6% to 2.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Philo’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States decreased from 2.5% to 1.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, YouTube TV’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States peaked at 70.9% in September 2026 and was lowest at 51.9% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Fubo’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States peaked at 19.5% in June 2026 and was lowest at 11.1% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sling TV’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States peaked at 10.4% in November 2025 and was lowest at 5.8% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hulu’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States peaked at 14.3% in March 2026 and was lowest at 3.9% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DIRECTV STREAM’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States peaked at 3.8% in November 2025 and was lowest at 2.3% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Philo’s share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States peaked at 3.5% in May 2026 and was lowest at 1.9% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sling TV rose from 4th to 3rd among live TV streaming services in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hulu fell from 3rd to 4th among live TV streaming services in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Fubo held steady: its share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for United States live TV streaming services in September 2026?
6 changes
In September 2026, YouTube TV gained share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States, from 64.7% to 70.9%.
In September 2026, Fubo lost share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States, from 15.8% to 14.2%.
In September 2026, Hulu lost share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States, from 5.8% to 4.3%.
In September 2026, Philo lost share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States, from 3.4% to 1.9%.
In September 2026, DIRECTV STREAM lost share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States, from 3.2% to 2.3%.
In September 2026, Sling TV lost share of searches among live TV streaming services in the United States, from 7.1% to 6.4%.
Compare popularity between leading brands
- YouTube TV vs Fubo: compare popularity
- YouTube TV vs Sling TV: compare popularity
- YouTube TV vs Hulu: compare popularity
- YouTube TV vs DIRECTV STREAM: compare popularity
- Fubo vs Sling TV: compare popularity
- Fubo vs Hulu: compare popularity
- Fubo vs DIRECTV STREAM: compare popularity
- Sling TV vs Hulu: compare popularity
- Sling TV vs DIRECTV STREAM: compare popularity
- Hulu vs DIRECTV STREAM: compare popularity
- Compare any of these brands
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