TV has surpassed mobile and is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S. (by watch time), and according to Nielsen, YouTube has been #1 in streaming watch time in the U.S. for two years.
YouTube is now the most frequently used service for listening to podcasts in the U.S, according to Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube.
In the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, YouTube became a significant platform for election-related content, attracting a wide range of viewers. Content such as Joe Rogan’s interview with President Trump, which reached over 55 million views, and primetime comedy sketches from Saturday Night Live were among the many sources people turned to for information and entertainment. On election day alone, more than 45 million viewers in the U.S. watched election-related content on the platform. This trend led some observers to refer to the event as “the YouTube election,” reflecting the platform’s role in shaping how people engaged with the election.
One of the most relevant formats driving culture – podcasts – is thriving on YouTube. “We’ve long invested in the podcast experience, and this year we’ll roll out more tools to support podcasters, improve monetization for creators, and make it even easier to discover podcasts,” states Mohan.
YouTube is also a stage for cultural exchange, where content transcends borders. In 2024, more than 95% of French creator Sarah Lezito’s watch time came from outside of France. And The Amazing Digital Circus, an animated series from the Australian-based channel GLITCH, became a global sensation, appearing in YouTube’s annual End of Year list across eight countries.
YouTubers are becoming the startups of Hollywood.
Every thriving industry needs a healthy startup culture. Creators are bringing that startup mindset to Hollywood: leaning into new models of production, building studios to elevate their production quality, and exploring new creative avenues. They are creating a whole new playing field for entertainment and the businesses behind them.
Last year YouTube saw more than a 40% increase in channel memberships.
Last November, Mohan attended the opening of Alan Chikin Chow’s 10,000-square-foot studio in Burbank. It was a bold, fun, and colorful space filled with cutting-edge equipment that produces incredible entertainment watched by millions, he shares.
And this isn’t just happening in Hollywood: Kinigra Deon is building a studio in Birmingham, Alabama, and last November the creators behind channels Mia Plays and Kouman opened their studio in North Vancouver.
“We’re committed to meeting creators where they are with tools and features that power their businesses and communities. We’ll continue to support their growth through traditional revenue streams like ads and YouTube Premium, while introducing new ways for creators to partner with brands to bring their products to life,” asserts Mohan.
Like startups everywhere, creators are getting savvy about finding new ways to build their businesses, and we’re unlocking more ways for them to earn. Last year, more than 50% of channels earning five figures or more (USD) made money from sources other than ads & YouTube Premium.
YouTube just opened Communities to thousands more creators and plans on expanding access this year. It will lso bring Hype, a new feature that helps fans rally around up-and-coming creators, to more markets around the world.
YouTube is the new television.
For more and more people, watching TV means watching YouTube. Viewers are watching, on average, over 1B hours of YouTube content on TVs daily, and TV is now the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S. But the “new” television doesn’t look like the “old” television. It’s interactive and includes things like Shorts, podcasts, and live streams, right alongside sports, sitcoms, and talk shows.
As more creators produce content for the big screen, we’re bringing the best of YouTube to TVs, including a second-screen experience that lets you use your phone to interact with the video you’re watching on TV — for example, to leave a comment or make a purchase.
YouTube is also experimenting with a new feature called Watch With, which enables creators to provide live commentary and real-time reactions to games and events. We began testing this feature last year with the NFL and will experiment with other sports and types of content this year.
“Our subscription services are seeing a lot of momentum, too: YouTube TV has more than 8 million subscribers and YouTube Music & Premium has more than 100 million subscribers,” shares Mohan.
AI will make it easier to…
AI has long been a part of YouTube’s journey, from powering recommendations to producing captions to helping us identify and remove harmful content.
Last year YouTube rolled out Dream Screen and Dream Track which generate image backgrounds, video backgrounds and instrumental soundtracks for Shorts. It will continue investing in these features, including integrating Veo 2 into Dream Screen soon.
For videos with dubbed audio, more than 40% of the total watch time comes from viewers choosing to listen in a dubbed language.
“As impressive as the generative models are, creators tell us they’re most excited about the ways AI can help with their bread-and-butter production. That’s why we’re investing in tools to help them in the everyday work of creation, like coming up with a new video idea, title or thumbnail,” shares Mohan.
YouTube is also using AI to help creators find new audiences. For videos with dubbed audio, more than 40% of the total watch time comes from viewers choosing to listen in a dubbed language. Last year YouTube launched auto dubbing, which helps creators translate their videos into multiple languages with a touch of a button. We’ll soon make auto dubbing available for all creators in the YouTube Partner Program. We’ll continue to make improvements here and expand to more languages throughout the year.
Mohan highlights YouTube’s laser focus on protecting its youngest users. “That’s why we built YouTube Kids and rolled out supervised accounts. That’s why we’ve invested in the learning and education experience: improving the way videos are shown in educational tools, making it easy to learn more about topics in a video and offering creators a way to produce courses. And that’s why we’ll use machine learning in 2025 to help us estimate a user’s age – distinguishing between younger viewers and adults – to help provide the best and most age appropriate experiences and protections.”