Skip to main content
Value PBS

Showcase

  • Viewers Like Me

    PBS counts on support from government, foundations, and “Viewers Like You,” in order to deliver valuable, high-quality content that offers something for everyone. Read more about the benefits of PBS from the many Americans who count themselves as “Viewers Like Me.”

  • Grid image
  • Grid image
  • Grid image
  • Grid image

We want to hear from you!

Tell us your favorite PBS stories and share them with all our fans using the hashtag #ViewersLikeMePBS.

By submitting your PBS story, you give PBS permission to use your testimonial and any provided images in organic and paid social promotion. If you would like your submission to remain anonymous, please indicate that in your submission.

Viewers across the country value PBS.

Pie graph that shows 82%
82% of Americans value PBS for its children’s programming and educational tools.
Source: YouGov, Jan. 6-10, 2025
1st in public trust for 22 consecutive years. 2
1st in public trust for 22 consecutive years.
Source: YouGov, Jan. 6-10, 2025
Filer image
77% of Americans believe PBS provides excellent value to the community.
Source: YouGov, Jan. 6-10, 2025

Showcase

  • Big news for Iowa high school sports! Beginning this fall, Iowa PBS will broadcast IHSAA championships for boys' basketball, football, and wrestling.

    Rep. Randy Feenstra
(IA-4)

  • In Alaska, and other rural states, local public broadcasting stations play a critical role in providing local information during disasters, and also in connecting communities.

    Sen. Dan Sullivan,
Alaska

  • Just about every show I watched as a kid came from PBS. Watched OPB religiously as a kid. Started out with Sesame Street and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. As I grew into later childhood I loved Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego and Square One TV. Later on I found peace and comfort watching Bob Ross' Joy of Painting. Now I find the PBS NewsHour to be my favorite news program. Thank you for all you do. Love y'all.

    bikelikeabrewer (Threads user)

  • Thanks PBS! You legit helped shape me as a child who loved to learn and explore my mind. Love You!

    theblkgirl_deity (Threads)

Infographic that says PBS is watched by 58% of TV households - that's more than 130 million people.

For many Americans, public television is their connection to the world.

It may be their some viewers’ only opportunity to see a Broadway show, visit a National Park, access non-commercial public affairs programming, or receive critical emergency alerts. Each month, more than 36 million people watch their local PBS stations, more than 16 million viewers watch videos on PBS’s site and apps, and over 53 million fans enjoy PBS Digital Studios and other content on YouTube.

PBS KIDS reaches millions of children.

PBS stations reach more parents of young children than any other children’s TV network. PBS KIDS digital content reaches an average of 15 million monthly users.

Infographic that says PBS Kids is watched by millions of children.
Infographic that says PBS is non-commercial and free for all Americans.

PBS is especially important in areas with limited or no internet.

For millions of Americans lacking reliable and affordable access to broadband internet — particularly in rural areas — PBS’s broadcast signal is uniquely important. Every day, PBS and its more than 330 member stations fulfill our essential mission to the American public, providing trusted programming that is uniquely different from commercial broadcasting and treating audiences as citizens, not simply consumers.

Americans rate PBS highly in terms of value for tax dollars.

PBS ranks highly in terms of taxpayer value, with 66% of respondents calling it an “excellent” or "good" value behind only military defense (73%). PBS rated higher on this measure than other taxpayer-funded benefits such as social security, agriculture subsidies, infrastructure and environmental protections.

Infographic that says Public Broadcasting is one of America's Best investments, costing about $1.60 per person each year.

See why PBS matters to people across the nation.

Join the Conversation

Tell us your favorite PBS stories and share them with all our fans using the hashtag #ViewersLikeMePBS.

By submitting your PBS story, you give PBS permission to use your testimonial and any provided images in organic and paid social promotion. If you would like your submission to remain anonymous, please indicate that in your submission.

Explore the Value of PBS

Supporting Teachers

Our member stations provide essential education resources for learners of all ages.

YouGov Study

Methodology: YouGov interviewed 2,053 respondents online who were then matched down to a sample of 2,000 to produce the final dataset. The respondents were matched to a sampling frame and weighted based on gender, age, race, and education. The sampling frame is a politically representative “modeled frame” of U.S. adults. Parents were defined as those who said they had children under 18 living in the household. Total figures reported exclude those who answered “unsure/don’t know/none of the above” for individual questions (which ranged from 1%-28% per question). The margin of error is +/- 2.63%.