2026 Midyear Streaming Trends Highlight Emergence of Diverse Music Genres and Netflix’s Dominance in Film and TV

The music, film, and TV streaming landscape has undergone significant changes halfway through 2026, as highlighted by Luminate’s 2026 Midyear Report. This report provides valuable insights into emerging streaming trends both in the United States and worldwide. Notably, there is an unprecedented increase in music streaming. Diverse music genres are gaining popularity, while Netflix maintains its lead in original content streaming.

Surge in Music Streaming

Music streaming continues to grow significantly in 2026. Globally, on-demand audio streams have reached 2.8 trillion in the first half of 2026, an increase from 2.5 trillion during the same period in 2025 and 2.29 trillion in 2024. In the U.S., on-demand audio song streams rose to 732.7 billion, up from 696.6 billion in 2025 and 665.8 billion in 2024.

R&B/Hip-Hop vs. Genre Diversification

R&B/Hip-Hop remains the most popular genre in the U.S., with nearly 25% of on-demand audio streams. However, the dominance of this genre is being challenged by the rise of other music styles. In 2026, R&B/Hip-Hop accounted for 30% of U.S. album-equivalent consumption, based on Billboard 200 analysis, down from 41% in 2023. Despite this shift, the genre still recorded 180.3 billion streams in the U.S., with rock following at 137.2 billion, pop at 87.8 billion, country at 63.8 billion, and Latin at 63 billion.

Growth of Latin and Country Music

Latin music is gaining traction in the U.S. Luminate’s report found Spanish-language streams reached 9.4% of total U.S. streams in early 2026. Additionally, English-language consumption fell to a record low of 87.1%. Latin music’s cultural influence is expanding rapidly across the American mainstream. Globally, Latin music streams hit 363.2 billion, compared to 335.3 billion the previous year.

Country music is also experiencing growth. Notably, Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” and Ella Langley’s “Dandelion” ranked as top albums with substantial album-equivalent units. Langley’s appeal reflects country music’s expanding audience among younger fans.

AI-Generated Tracks on the Rise

AI-generated music is surging, setting new trends in the industry. Tracks like Chill77, Unjaps and Mikeeysmind’s “Papaoutai (Afro Soul)” and The Second Voice’s “Let Me Be” achieved millions of streams globally, while Breaking Rust’s “Livin’ on Borrowed Time” stood out in the U.S. AI has begun transforming music production workflows, although individual AI tracks have not yet substantially impacted long-term listener behavior.

Netflix Leads Original Content Streaming

Netflix continues to dominate the U.S. streaming market for original content. It accounted for 57% of total original content viewing, followed by Prime Video (11%), Hulu and Paramount (7% each). In the first half of 2026, 13.6 billion hours of original series and films were streamed through Netflix, with popular titles like “The Crash” and “The Rip” leading viewership.

Although Netflix holds the top spot in original film streaming, original series are facing competition from HBO Max, which leads with “The Pitt.” Despite the growth in original content, library content remains the preferred choice among U.S. viewers, totaling 42.2 billion hours for TV and 10.8 billion hours for films in early 2026.