How the Albanian Army Won Our Attention

In 2010, Time Warner’s CEO was asked if he was worried about Netflix.
He laughed. “That’s like the Albanian Army taking over the world,” he said.

It was a joke that made sense at the time. Netflix mailed DVDs. Time Warner ruled cable. The future looked like the past with better margins.

But the future doesn’t knock. It seeps in. One new habit at a time. One screen at a time.

Today, the Albanian Army runs the world’s most valuable TV network. And the empire that once owned Friends now rents it back.

That’s how media shifts — not with explosions, but with erosion. Attention doesn’t revolt. It just moves on.

So before the next empire laughs off the next insurgent, it’s worth asking a few questions.

Let’s break it down into 4 big questions:
1) How much of our day do screens really take?
2) Has video fully eaten the media diet?
3) Why does TV still hold its grip?
4) Is streaming finally the default?

This is part three of my Streaming Decade in Four Steps series.
1) Red Pill or Blue Pill? (Overview)
2) Every Person in Your House Has 3 TV Screens (Reach)
3) How the Albanian Army Won Our Attention (Time Spent)

How much of our day do screens really take?

13 hours. That’s 72% of the time we’re awake.

Share of digital media time (eMarketer):
1) Mobile - 48%
2) Streaming TV - 32%
3) Desktop/laptop - 11%
4) Other - 9%

Has video fully eaten the media diet?

Almost. Video now takes up over half of all media time.

Video share of media time (eMarketer):
1) 2010 - 48%
2) 2015 - 44%
3) 2020 - 52%
4) 2025 - 54%

Bottom line: Video is the center of the modern media diet.

Why does TV still hold its grip?

Americans watched 27 trillion minutes of it last year, an astonishing number that reflects 75 years of ingrained behavior.

👀 The average American will spend 12% of their entire life watching TV.

Is streaming finally the default?

Yes, and it’s only growing.

Streaming now accounts for most TV viewing and continues to gain share. Cable has lost the most. Broadcast still spikes during big live events like the NFL and Olympics.

Earlier this year, time spent flipped from linear to streaming. (I predicted 2026.)

Over the next 10 years, my current model projects streaming growing to a 69% share of time spent, but this could accelerate if sports/news shift rapidly to streaming (see below).

Time spent (2025-2035):
1) Linear TV - 51% → 31% (↓ 39%)
2) Streaming TV - 49% → 69% (↑ 40%)

Streaming share of TV time in 2035:
1) Conservative - 69%
2) Bull - 80%
3) Super Bull - 90%