YouTube Crushes Netflix and Prime Video with Record-Breaking Viewership!

YouTube has surpassed a significant viewing milestone, representing almost 12% of total television viewing, putting it ahead of competitors such as Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video by quite some distance.

Back in February 2025, I found myself spending nearly 2.5% more time glued to my favorite YouTube content on the big screen. Seems like that month set a fresh benchmark for the Google-run app and the entire streaming category according to Nielsen, making those hours of binge-watching even sweeter!

In summary, YouTube accounted for a significant 11.6% of all television viewing, and this figure grows even more noteworthy when we exclude cable networks. Remarkably, when it comes to streaming content, YouTube clearly outperformed its rivals, claiming approximately 27% of the total time spent watching TV during that particular month.

Approximately half (47%) of television viewing was done through streaming services, which is almost twice as much as cable viewing. Additionally, February’s TV viewership received a significant boost due to major sporting events like the Super Bowl and the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off.

YouTube dominates Netflix, Paramount and Max combined

As reported by The Gauge, YouTube emerged as the sole streaming service to surpass 10% viewership over the preceding 12-month period and broke a significant new record in terms of audience reach in February.

Netflix ranked second with 8.2%, followed closely behind by Disney+ in third place with 4.8%. Amazon’s Prime Video came next at 3.5%, while contenders like Paramount+ and Max failed to surpass the 1.3% mark.

Before YouTube introduced Premium Lite as a less expensive, ad-supported alternative to its full premium service in the United States, this surge in popularity occurred.

In essence, lots of people were utilizing the free version of YouTube that came with numerous ads, some even lasting up to an hour, since they hadn’t obtained the Premium Lite subscription at that point.

Simultaneously, the Google-managed platform has been thriving with Shorts, a direct competitor to TikTok that focuses on providing short video clips as content.

In addition, a MrBeast short named ‘Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette?’ toppled Despacito as the most popular video on the platform in February, garnering the highest number of likes.

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2025-03-26 20:23