When asked which streaming platform I use the most, my answer isn’t particularly fashionable. It’s not HBO Max or Netflix; it’s not Disney+, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. Instead it’s YouTube TV, which has become my go-to digital replacement for the nostalgic joy of cable. It’s on in my household from early morning (starting with Squawk Box on CNBC) through midday (news updates via CNN) and right on through the evening (whatever sports game is on, plus reruns of Forensic Files on HLN before bed). 

It’s easy to forget, after all, that some of the fastest growing platforms in the fragmented streaming space aren’t the ones you read most about, but rather YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and even the FAST services (free ad-supported streaming television) like Tubi and Pluto TV, which offer an antidote to the never-ending choice paralysis that plagues the on-demand experience. Nielsen’s monthly gauge metric, which provides a snapshot into the viewing habits of U.S. households, recently saw YouTube earn the top spot among all streaming services (8 percent of all viewing) and Hulu take third (3.8 percent)—both were greatly helped by live streaming. Pluto TV was recorded by the gauge in September, making it one of the first FAST services to capture more than 1 percent of all U.S. viewing, as measured by Nielsen.