For years, the audiovisual industry talked about “convergence” between television, digital, and social media as a gradual, almost organic process. But in 2026 that narrative falls short. What we are witnessing is not a smooth convergence, but a clear positioning: the major social platforms have decided that the main screen in the home can no longer remain the exclusive territory of traditional TV and streaming.

The movement on the horizon is the definitive step of social media from mobile to the television screen. And, unlike past attempts, this time the signals are not weak: they are unmistakable.

• Meta is about to launch its TV app for Instagram Reels, bringing its flagship format directly to the living room.
• TikTok, having successfully overcome major regulatory challenges in several key markets, is not only preparing its Smart TV app, but is building a content universe designed specifically for large-screen consumption.
• Pinterest has acquired TV Scientific, a move that goes far beyond advertising technology and targets social commerce and attribution in the TV environment.
• YouTube, which arrived first, already dominates a substantial portion of CTV audiences in many regions and has become, de facto, one of the largest “television channels” in the world.

What was once an experimental extension is now a central strategy.

From the Feed to the Living Room: A Shift in Scale (and Ambition)

The interest of social platforms in TV is not only a matter of reach. It is about scale, legitimacy, and budget.

Television — linear or connected — remains the medium that concentrates:

• The longest continuous consumption time.
• The greatest emotional impact.
• And, above all, the largest and most stable advertising budgets.

For decades, TV was the last stronghold that the digital ecosystem had not fully conquered. 2026 marks the moment when social media decides it no longer wants to be merely complementary, but a direct competitor.

1. Content Distribution: From Mobile-First to Living-Room-First

The “historical” content of social media was born optimized for mobile: vertical, fast, fragmented, and highly dependent on scrolling. But conquering the living room requires a deep shift.

The big screen demands:

• Longer, more immersive narratives.
• Higher production quality.
• Different pacing.
• And, above all, an experience designed for shared, not individual, consumption.

In the coming years we will see:

• New hybrid formats between short-form and long-form.
• Unprecedented licensing agreements between social platforms and traditional producers.
• Creators developing content specifically for TV without going through classic broadcasters or streamers.

Social media does not just distribute content: they want to become programmers.

2. Reallocation of Advertising Investment: The Great Battle

Beyond the exact numbers, one reality is indisputable: there is a pie of approximately $125 billion in conventional TV investment, plus another $45 billion in CTV, which is inevitably being reconfigured.

Major social platforms do not just want a slice of that pie: they are going to fight aggressively for it.

Their proposition is clear:

• Advanced targeting.
• Proprietary data.
• Near real-time measurement.
• Performance and direct attribution.

Faced with a television ecosystem historically based on estimates, panels, and probabilistic models, social media offers certainty, traceability, and continuous optimization. In a context of pressure on advertising efficiency, the appeal is obvious.

3. The New UGC: From Amateur Content to Distributed Studios

The concept of UGC (User Generated Content) is also evolving. What was once associated with fast, lower-perceived-value content is now rapidly professionalizing.

Many creators already operate as:

• Micro-studios.
• Verticalized production companies.
• Content brands with their own teams, technology, and processes.

Entry into TV accelerates this phenomenon. The big screen acts as a seal of legitimacy: it transforms the creator into a “channel” and the content into a “program.” UGC stops being a supplement and becomes a new structural layer of the audiovisual ecosystem.

4. Native Formats for CTV and the Rise of TV Commerce

The technological capability of social platforms is beyond doubt. The real challenge is not access to TV, but how they translate their historical strengths to a device they did not dominate.

We are talking about:

• Integrating data and targeting without breaking the lean-back experience.
• Introducing interactive formats without creating friction.
• Turning TV into a real transactional touchpoint.

TV Commerce ceases to be a futuristic promise and becomes a logical extension of social commerce. Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram do not see TV merely as a branding channel, but as a conversion point.

5. Less Friction Between First and Second Screens

TV consumption is no longer an isolated experience. Most users watch television with a mobile device in hand. The difference now is that social platforms control both screens.

Reducing friction between first and second screens will be key for:

• User experience.
• Cross-device measurement.
• Integrated monetization.

TV stops being a passive medium and becomes the center of a synchronized interactive ecosystem.

An Ecosystem in Deep Reorganization

What is happening is neither a trend nor an incremental evolution. It is a structural reorganization of the audiovisual ecosystem.

The boundaries between linear TV – Streaming – Social Media are rapidly blurring. We increasingly talk about connected screens as a large hybrid entertainment hub, where the origin of content matters less than the experience, the data, and the monetization capacity.

The challenge is no longer just technological.
It is cultural.
It is strategic.
And, above all, it is a business model challenge.

2026 will be remembered as the year social media decided it also wanted to be television.