Attention has changed hands
Our 2026 US media consumption report reveals that creator platforms have overtaken TV and streaming combined for daily viewing. Download the full report to learn what this evolution in entertainment means for your media planning.
The Attention Economy: Who owns consumer attention in 2026?
Built on five years of Attest’s US media habits tracking and a fresh, nationally representative survey of 1,000 US adults, this report maps where attention is actually going, how compulsively it’s held, and what it costs advertisers to earn it. From creator platforms overtaking traditional TV to the true price of ad tolerance, we cover the shifts reshaping media budgets in 2026, with guidance for insights and marketing professionals deciding where their attention spend belongs next.
Creator content has already overtaken TV
Social video now claims 3h 54m of the average person’s day, more than live TV and subscription streaming combined (3h 20m). And it’s holding that time, not just grabbing it: roughly two-thirds of people regularly watch YouTube videos longer than 15 minutes, and TikTok, built for 15-second clips, now holds viewers for content 60 times that length. Creator platforms aren’t stealing spare moments from TV anymore, they’re becoming it.
Non-skippable doesn’t mean watched
Given the choice, most people skip: 86% of Gen Z always or usually skip ads, and even Boomers do so nearly half of the time. But taking away the skip button doesn’t guarantee attention either. When people can’t skip an ad, only 44% say they actually watch it as intended, 34% redirect their attention elsewhere, and 17% simply mute the sound. Forcing a view isn’t the same as earning one.
