Research: Connected TV reaches 35.4m Italians
October 1, 2026



While traditional TV remains central to Italian living rooms, the battle for viewer attention has migrated across smart screens, subscription services, and mobile social platforms, according to research from market analysis firm Sensemakers.

As of May 2026, Connected TV (CTV) reached a monthly audience of 35.4 million people – an increase of 4.3 per cent year-on-year, now representing 65.3 per cent of the nation’s TV-viewing population.


Household penetration grew by roughly 500,000 homes compared to May 2025, bringing the total number of smart TVs and connected external devices past 23 million units (+5.5 per cent).

During the 2025–2026 season, average time spent on TV among CTV owners rose by 7 minutes per day (+1.9 per cent). Average time spent on ‘Recognised TV’ (traditional linear broadcasts) remained stable at 5h27m (-1.8 per cent), while ‘Unrecognised TV’ (non-linear streaming and apps on the main screen) surged 26.1 per cent, rising from 1h36m to 2h01m daily.

Out of Italy’s 24.4 million households, 16.4 million maintain fixed broadband connections (67.3 per cent). Of those connected homes, 15 million – over 92 per cent – subscribe to at least one streaming service.

Nearly half of subscribers (47 per cent) spend up to €20 per month on streaming, with an overall average spend of €33.60. Only 18.8 per cent spend over €50 monthly.

Just 49.1 per cent of users identify as fully loyal, long-term subscribers. Conversely, 45 per cent present a ‘conditioned’ status—frequently switching, pausing, or cancelling memberships based on specific content availability.

Only 12 per cent of users felt content quality improved in recent months (down 5 percentage points), while 20 per cent deemed it worse. Furthermore, 23 per cent complained of content overload.

In the 2025–2026 season, linear viewing lost an average of 189,000 viewers (-2.3 per cent). However, non-linear TV screen consumption gained only 73,000 viewers (+4.1 per cent), leaving a net deficit of 116,000 viewers on the main screen. Much of the missing audience has migrated to mobile devices.

To maintain market share, major media groups are increasingly operating as multi-platform publishing networks, using social channels to capture audiences outside the traditional TV ecosystem.

Crucially, social engagement drives long-form viewership: 53.8 per cent of users report that social media clips encourage them to watch full episodes on official platforms.