The Luminate 2026 Midyear Report highlights evolving trends in streaming across music, film, and television.
Music Streaming Growth
Music streaming continues to rise globally and in the U.S. Global on-demand audio streams reached 2.8 trillion in the first half of 2026, compared to 2.5 trillion the previous year and 2.29 trillion in 2024. In the U.S., on-demand audio song streams increased to 732.7 billion.
R&B and Hip-Hop Under Competition
The R&B/hip-hop genre remains a top streaming choice in the U.S., representing nearly 25% of on-demand audio streams. However, its dominance faces challenges. In early 2026, R&B/hip-hop accounted for 30% of U.S. album-equivalent consumption, down from 41% in 2023. Luminate’s Jaime Marconette notes a shift towards a diverse streaming ecosystem.
Despite concerns, R&B/hip-hop remains popular with 180.3 billion streams in the U.S., followed by rock, pop, country, and Latin genres.
Surging Popularity of Latin and Country Music
Latin music sees increased U.S. popularity, with Spanish streams making up 9.4% of the total in early 2026. English-language consumption dropped to 87.1%. Marconette highlights Latin music’s widening cultural footprint, reaching mainstream listeners.
Globally, Latin music streams reached 363.2 billion. Country music, led by artists like Ella Langley, also shows growth, with her album ‘Dandelion’ achieving significant U.S. album equivalent units.
AI-Generated Tracks Gain Attention
AI-generated tracks are gaining popularity. Notable examples include “Papaoutai (Afro Soul)” and “Let Me Be,” achieving millions of streams. Breaking Rust’s “Livin’ on Borrowed Time” led AI-generated song streams in the U.S.
Marconette notes AI’s transformative impact on creative workflows, although its long-term influence on consumption remains uncertain.
Netflix Leads Original Content Streaming
In the U.S., Netflix dominates original content viewing, with 57% of all viewing time. Prime Video follows with 11%, while Hulu and Paramount each hold 7%. Total streaming time for original TV series reaches 11.5 billion hours, with original movies at 2.8 billion hours.
Popular Netflix films include “The Crash,” “The Rip,” and “Apex.” HBO Max’s “The Pitt” leads original series streams, followed by two Netflix titles.
Library content is preferred, totaling 42.2 billion hours for TV and 10.8 billion for film. Luminate reports nearly 19,000 library titles available, compared to 7,000 originals.
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