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“YouTube is television.” The evolution of the platform owned by Alphabet is one of the most striking transformations of the decade in the media sector, say industry analysts.
YouTube surpassed Netflix in the average daily viewing time among users around the world, according to an analysis cited by , which reveals the growing media weight of the digital platform.
The strong transition to YouTube consumption on television which has been recorded in recent years has fueled an increasing rivalry between the world’s main digital and streaming platforms, says the British newspaper.
“YouTube is no longer just cat videos,” said Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive of Netflix, recently. “YouTube is television“.
A average daily YouTube usage rose from 87.2 minutes in 2024 to 99.1 minutes in 2025, according to analysis carried out by the agency Digital i in 20 international markets. Netflix value dropped from 100.5 to 93.4 minutes.
The passage of YouTube from notebooks and cell phones to television also accelerated last year. Television’s share of YouTube viewing time rose from 28% to 35% between January 2024 and December 2025, while consumption on mobile devices fell from 35% to 31%.
Netflix itself is a huge force on YouTube. Its official channel recorded the largest reach of all channels last year, reaching 78.2 million unique accounts. Includes full episodes of the series “Our Planet“, narrated by David Attenborough.
Both platforms have invaded each other’s territory in recent months. YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, sought consolidate its growing television success with incursions into areas traditionally covered by television networks and broadcasters.
In December, it acquired the exclusive broadcast rights to the Oscarsin a multi-year deal that covers red carpet coverage and behind-the-scenes content, which have always been a staple of television coverage.
YouTube is also experimenting with acquiring sports rightshaving transmitted his first NFL game last year. The meeting took the title of live broadcast with the highest number of viewers simultaneously on the platform, with more than 17.3 million views.
A Netflix has reacted with video podcastswhich took off on YouTube. Closed a deal with the podcast “The Rest Is Football“, by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, to broadcast a daily edition during the World Cup.
A big difference between these platforms is that, unlike streaming services and traditional public service broadcasters such as the BBC, YouTube do not order content. You’ve tried ordering shows through the YouTube Red and YouTube Originals projects, but ended up closing both.
Digital i’s analysis suggests that traditional media began to “crack the YouTube reach code”, and that some now achieve a huge number of views on the site. Among the best-performing traditional media channels on YouTube were “Saturday Night Live“, with 55.8 million viewers, and Universal Pictures, with 54.6 million.
“The evolution of YouTube from a social video service to a global attention-grabbing platform has is one of the most striking transformations of the decade in the media sector,” he said. Matt Rossdirector of analysis at Digital i, cited by The Guardian.
“Our data shows that the public increasingly views YouTube not as a social network, but as a prime entertainment destination“.
A generation Z remained the most active age group on YouTube last year, with an average of 111 minutes a daybut growth was more pronounced among men aged 55 to 64whose consumption has increased by 15% since 2024. Average daily YouTube usage has grown equally among women of all age groups.
Of the territories analyzed, South Koreans were the ones who used YouTube the mostwith 161.5 minutes per day. THE France recorded the highest growth in daily use, with an increase of one third.
