YouTube is quietly taking over TVs in the US

Summary

YouTube now has more viewers on TV in the US than on mobile, with 1 billion daily hours watched worldwide.
According to a Neilson report, YouTube is the most watched streaming platform in the US.
YouTube Premium and Music has over 100 million subscribers, and YouTube TV has more than 8 million.

For nearly 20 years, YouTube has been the go-to platform for many people to watch videos online, whether on computers, tablets, smartphones, or TVs, and nowadays, most people are surprisingly opting for the latter.

In a recent blog post, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan revealed that TV has overtaken mobile devices as the primary way people watch YouTube in the US, and that viewers worldwide watch more than one billion hours of YouTube on their TVs daily.

“For more and more people, watching TV means watching YouTube,” Mohan said. “But the ‘new’ television doesn’t resemble the ‘old’ television. It’s interactive and features things like Shorts (yes, people watch them on TVs), podcasts, and live streams, right alongside the sports, sitcoms, and talk shows people already enjoy.”

YouTube

notable shows: Kitchen Nightmares, Merlin
notable movies: Clueless, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, How to Train Your Dragon, Mean Girls, Star Trek
Premium Subscription: Yes, $13.99 per month
Originals: No
Live TV: No

I used to think YouTube Premium wasn’t worth it. Here’s what changed my mind

The value might be there now for YouTube Premium.

YouTube beats Netflix as top video streaming platform

Recently YouTube has improved its TV app for users

According to Nielsen’s monthly Gauge report, YouTube is the most-watched streaming video platform in the US, ahead of heavyweights like Netflix and Prime Video. In an effort to maintain its lead, YouTube announced several revamps to its TV app last year that make it more user-friendly and interactive.

Users gravitating toward YouTube on their TVs shouldn’t be much of a surprise. YouTube TV has been growing in popularity among cord-cutters and now boasts over eight million subscribers, but it did recently raise prices. YouTube’s other subscription services, YouTube Premium and Music, also have more than 100 million subscribers (including trial users).

“With innovative features, diverse content, and growing subscription services, we’re defining the television experience for a new generation,” Mohan said.

Aside from its efforts on TV and its subscription services in 2025, YouTube is also focusing on enhancing its role as “the epicenter of culture,” providing a space for users to enjoy podcasts, shorts, music videos, livestreams, and other content. Additionally, the platform aims to roll out more AI tools to assist creators.