The Living Room Study: Europe’s Big Screen rules

• Europeans continue to centre their video habits around the television set and the shared experience of the living room, RTL AdAlliance research finds
   
• 90 per cent of Europeans have a TV at home, and 64 per cent watch video on their television daily – significantly more than in the United States (-23 percentage points) and China (-24 percentage points)
   
• Europe, the US, and China show distinct media ecosystems influenced by decades of local broadcasting and cultural ties, highlights The Living Room Study surveyed over 15,000 people in 17 markets

RTL AdAlliance has released the 5th edition of its yearly Living Room Study, covering an even wider audience with new markets China and Hungary. The research of RTL Group’s international sales house finds that the living room dominates viewing habits: a place where 83 per cent of Europeans most often watch video content, far ahead of the bedroom (46 per cent). In comparison with other markets, Europe indicates notable differences: Europe’s preference for the living room is 25 percentage points higher than in the United States (58 per cent). 

What began as a trend among younger viewers has now been embraced by every generation, the report shows. Streaming content once associated with mobile viewing is increasingly shifting to television screens, where streaming has become widespread. 71 per cent use them at least once a week. BVOD has grown as a first destination on the TV set by six percentage points since the last edition and has reached 14 per cent, while 41 per cent of Europeans now watch live content through BVOD platforms on their TVs. Linear TV remains the top-of-mind destination on the TV set: 48 per cent of viewers tune in directly.

The contrast between Europe, the United States, and China reveals a distinctive media ecosystem shaped by decades of local broadcasting, free-to-air access, and strong cultural proximity. Europeans turn to global streaming platforms mainly for on-demand content, while live events, local programmes, and shared viewing moments remain rooted in linear TV. This environment – the trust, the consistency and the audiences who show up and stay – is not something a platform can manufacture through pure scale or spend, The Living Room Study revealed. 61% of the respondents trust linear TV first when seeing an ad, far above social media (33%) and YouTube (40%).

At the same time, audiences recognise the increasing fragmentation of the video landscape: Audiences are splitting across platforms, attention spans are shrinking and long-form content is being carved into clips for feeds that reward speed over substance. A trend dominant in the United States and China, but less pronounced in Europe, where long-form formats remain more resilient. However, social media and television do not operate in isolation: 39 per cent of Europeans aged 18 to 34 watch programmes on television that they first discovered on social platforms while 67 per cent discuss on social media what they have seen on TV. But social media is losing its appeal for genuine connection and users start to look for shared experiences elsewhere. 74 per cent of Europeans say social media has lost its ability to create real social connections, the highest level among the regions studied (72 per cent in the United States, 59 per cent in China).

Stéphane Coruble, CEO at RTL AdAlliance, says: 

"The living room is not losing ground in Europe; it is gaining relevance. Europeans watch video on fewer screens, spend longer with what they choose, and protect formats that other regions have already fragmented. The contrast against markets such as the US and China is striking, and it points in the same direction: what Europe has built around its main screen has no equivalent anywhere else in the world.

Our 5th RTL AdAlliance The Living Room Study goes deeper than ever, covering the main streaming platform in each market. It highlights collaboration as our competitive advantage, ensuring advertisers continue to have access to trusted and transparent environments across European media. Cross-market partnerships, technological alignment, smarter measurement, and shared innovation will define the next era of Total Video."

The recorded live stream from March 25th and the study handbook can be accessed here: 

https://rtl-adalliance.com/living-room-study-2026
 

Methodology: The Living Room study provides broadcasters, publishers and advertisers with insights to optimise strategies in today’s fragmented video landscape. This comprehensive analysis is based on a quantitative survey conducted online by the market research institute Norstat, from 19 January to 4 February 2026. Over 15,500 respondents aged 18 to 64 participated in the RTL AdAlliance study, which covered 15 markets in Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary (new), Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, China (new) and the US.

VP Brand & Communications
Carine Jean-Jean
carine.jeanjean@rtl.com
+33 6 30 51 58 73

PR Director 
Kathrin Müller
kathrin.mueller@rtl.com
+49 40 286 686 117

RTL AdAlliance – simplicity for advertisers and value for publishers.

The media sales house RTL AdAlliance, a subsidiary of RTL Group, unites premium content publishers under one roof for international brands to connect with European audiences. Combining the most successful broadcasting, publishing and Adtech companies in Europe, RTL AdAlliance offers brands access to over 100 TV channels, 350 print publications, 40 radio stations and 5,000 premium web properties – with over 150 million daily TV viewers, 37 million Addressable TV households, over 40 million daily listeners and more than 4 billion online video ad impressions a month in one streamlined service – enabling unrivalled reach in Europe and beyond.

250 media sales experts all over the world provide dedicated support for successful international media campaigns. Advertisers gain simplified access to premium, brand-safe media space that reaches only the most engaged audiences. RTL AdAlliance also provides latest insights and innovations for the media world. In addition, RTL AdAlliance empowers publishers to make better use of their premium offering by leveraging smarter, simpler monetisation strategies, Adtech solutions, developed in Europe, and dedicated media sales expertise.

Headquartered in Luxembourg and Hamburg, RTL AdAlliance has offices across Europe and North America.

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