Market analysis firm Sensemakers reports that Italy's Connected TV audience reached 35.4 million in May 2026, with non-linear viewing time increasing by 26.1 percent. The data highlights significant market challenges, including high subscriber churn and a shift in viewer attention toward mobile devices.
The surge in non-linear viewing confirms that Italian audiences are decoupling from traditional linear schedules, yet the net loss of main-screen viewers suggests CTV is losing the battle for attention to mobile platforms. For streaming providers, the high 'conditioned' subscriber rate of 45% indicates that market maturity in Italy is characterized by volatility rather than stable growth. This shift forces media groups to adopt multi-platform strategies where social channels serve as essential discovery layers rather than just marketing tools. Watch for whether the 23% of users reporting content overload leads to a contraction in the €33.60 average monthly spend.
As broadcasters risk technical debt by building bespoke media integrations on SaaS, the pressure to maintain profitability while managing high subscriber churn remains a critical challenge for the Italian market. To address these retention issues, operators are increasingly looking at D2C subscription retention benchmarks to optimize their long-term value, while also exploring AI-driven video observability to proactively identify and resolve streaming bottlenecks.
In May 2026, Italy's Connected TV audience reached 35.4 million, or 65.3% of the TV population. Daily non-linear viewing rose 26.1% to over two hours. This shift matters because, despite high streaming penetration, the market faces a net loss of main-screen viewers to mobile devices and high subscriber volatility.
As of May 2026, the Connected TV audience in Italy reached 35.4 million viewers, representing 65.3% of the total TV population.
Daily non-linear viewing time increased by 26.1% during the 2025–2026 season, rising from 1 hour and 36 minutes to 2 hours and 1 minute.
Broadband-connected homes in Italy spend an average of €33.60 per month on streaming services.
Subscriber loyalty is low, with 45% of users frequently switching or canceling their streaming services based on current content availability.
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