Nielsen: Hispanics Generated 19.1% of All U.S. Streaming Time During First Half of 2026

Hispanics now account for nearly one in every five minutes of streaming consumed in the U.S., according to a new study from Nielsen. Nielsen’s new report, titled The Year America Watched in La Sala: Hispanic Audiences & Watch Party Culture, reveals that during the first half of 2026, Hispanic audiences consumed more than 2 trillion minutes of TV, of which 1.2 trillion corresponded to streaming. In total, Hispanics generated 19.1% of all U.S. streaming time.

One of the most interesting findings is that streaming growth is not displacing Spanish. According to Nielsen, 42% of the time Hispanics spend watching linear TV corresponds to Spanish-language programming, even though English-language content supply outnumbers Spanish-language content by a ratio of nine to one. In addition, 77% of Generation Z Hispanics speak some Spanish at home, reflecting an audience that moves naturally between both languages.

Stacie de Armas, Head of Cultural Content & Insights de Nielsen

The report also shows how “la sala” continues to be an important cultural and generational meeting point. While Hispanic children ages 2 to 11 spend approximately 88% of their TV time on connected devices, Hispanic adults over 65 watch nearly 45 hours of TV per week, two-thirds of it on linear TV. Among adults ages 18 to 34, 61% pay for ad-free streaming (SVOD) services.

The data also point to the power of the Hispanic audience to drive content that later finds much broader audiences. The Netflix special, American Boy, from Cuban-Dominican comedian Marcello Hernández, had an initial audience made up of 32% Hispanics, though ultimately 68% of its total audience came from non-Hispanic viewers. Meanwhile, Saturday Night Live‘s Hispanic audience grew 13% during the 2025-2026 season, even as the show’s overall audience declined.

“Hispanic viewers are a growth engine for the media industry, across all platforms, languages, and generations. Whether gathering in ‘la sala’ for a family movie night or driving viral must-see TV phenomena like reality shows, this audience is setting the pace for what the rest of the U.S. will watch next,” said Stacie de Armas, Head of Cultural Content & Insights at Nielsen.