Insights
April 18, 2025
What is YouTube's share of TV viewing? (Q2 2025)
Table of Contents
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10.6%
YouTube's share of total U.S. TV viewing
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#1
Largest streaming platform by viewing share
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+120%
Growth in YouTube TV viewing since 2021
YouTube accounts for 10.6% of total U.S. TV viewing time, making it the single largest streaming platform by viewing share, according to Nielsen's Gauge data (April 2025). That's more than Netflix, more than Hulu, and more than any other streaming service. This dominance represents a fundamental shift in how Americans consume video content, one that has transformed what was once a mobile-first platform into a living room staple. For small businesses, this shift creates unprecedented opportunities to reach audiences on the biggest screen in the house without the massive budgets traditionally required for TV advertising.
What the data shows
YouTube's position as the top streaming platform isn't a recent development. It's the result of years of strategic investment in the living room experience and a content library that traditional TV simply cannot match.
According to Nielsen's April 2025 Gauge report, YouTube has maintained its lead over all other streaming services:
Total viewing share: YouTube captured 10.6% of all U.S. TV viewing time in April 2025, up from 9.8% in the same period last year
Streaming leader: YouTube is the #1 streaming platform by viewing share, ahead of Netflix (7.9%), Amazon Prime Video (3.1%), and Hulu (2.6%)
Explosive growth trajectory: YouTube's TV viewing share has grown over 120% since Nielsen began tracking streaming in its Gauge reports in 2021
Ad-supported viewing: Unlike premium subscription services where many users pay for ad-free tiers, most YouTube viewing includes advertising, creating substantial inventory for advertisers
Prime time competition: YouTube viewing peaks during traditional prime time hours (7-10 PM), directly competing with broadcast and cable programming
Multi-demographic reach: YouTube is the only streaming platform that leads viewing share across all age demographics under 50
This growth is driven primarily by YouTube's expansion beyond mobile devices. More Americans are watching YouTube on smart TVs, Roku devices, Amazon Fire TV sticks, and gaming consoles. What was once primarily a "second screen" experience has become primary TV entertainment for millions of households.
YouTube's content mix is a key differentiator. The platform offers creator content, music videos, podcasts, live streams, sports highlights, educational content, and increasingly, professional productions. This variety means viewers don't need multiple subscriptions to find something to watch. YouTube becomes the default "what's on?" destination.
For context, YouTube's 10.6% share means it commands more TV attention than any individual broadcast network during primetime. ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox each typically capture 3-5% of total TV viewing. YouTube alone exceeds them all. Learn more about the broader streaming landscape in our streaming viewing share overview.
Breaking down the numbers
Understanding the full picture requires looking beyond the headline 10.6% figure. YouTube's dominance varies significantly across different demographics, time slots, and content categories.
By age group
YouTube's TV viewing share skews toward younger demographics, though its reach extends across all age groups. Among 18-24 year olds, YouTube captures approximately 18% of their TV time, primarily through creator content, gaming, and music. The 25-34 demographic sees about 15% share, with podcasts, how-to content, and entertainment leading. Even among 50-64 year olds, YouTube holds roughly 7% share, driven by news, documentaries, and music.
This demographic distribution presents clear targeting opportunities. If your customers are under 50, YouTube TV is increasingly where they spend their evening hours. Even among older demographics, YouTube's share continues to grow as smart TV adoption increases.
By time of day
YouTube's viewing patterns differ notably from traditional TV. Morning hours (6am-12pm) see YouTube index higher than traditional TV, driven by work-from-home flexibility. Prime time (6pm-11pm) is where YouTube competes directly with scripted TV and sports. Late night (11pm-2am) is where YouTube dominates as the go-to for on-demand entertainment when broadcast schedules end.
Compared to other streaming platforms
The competitive landscape shows YouTube's commanding lead: YouTube at 10.6% (+0.8 YoY), Netflix at 7.9% (+0.2 YoY), Amazon Prime at 3.1% (-0.1 YoY), Hulu at 2.6% (flat), Disney+ at 1.9% (+0.3 YoY), Max at 1.4% (+0.2 YoY), and Peacock at 1.2% (+0.1 YoY).
YouTube's lead is notable not just for its size but because it's primarily ad-supported. While Netflix and Disney+ have introduced ad tiers, most of their subscribers still pay for ad-free experiences. YouTube's default ad-supported model creates substantially more advertising inventory. For advertisers, this means reaching CTV audiences is more accessible on YouTube than on premium subscription services where ad inventory is limited.
Why it matters for your business
If your customers are watching YouTube on their TV, your ads can reach them there. And you don't need a Super Bowl budget to make it happen.
The TV advertising opportunity
YouTube's TV viewing surge means small businesses now have access to audiences on the biggest screen in the house. Unlike mobile YouTube ads (which are often skipped or watched with divided attention), TV-delivered YouTube ads command full attention. Viewers are leaned back, engaged, and often watching with household members. This creates higher attention, brand-safe environments, household reach where one impression reaches multiple viewers, and full-screen impact on the biggest screen in the house.
The opportunity by business type
Different businesses can leverage YouTube's TV dominance in different ways:
Local service businesses (plumbers, dentists, attorneys): Target homeowners within a specific radius who are watching during evening hours when they're thinking about services they need.
Restaurants and retail: Reach hungry viewers during dinner hours or promote weekend specials to households in your delivery zone. Restaurant advertising on streaming TV can drive same-day visits when timed correctly.
E-commerce brands: Build brand awareness with audiences who are relaxed and receptive, then retarget them with performance ads elsewhere.
Professional services (real estate agents, financial advisors): Establish credibility and top-of-mind awareness in your local market.
The barrier to entry has collapsed
Traditional TV advertising required $50,000+ for production and five-figure media buys for any meaningful reach. That world is over. With platforms like Adwave, you can run TV advertising campaigns across YouTube and 100+ other premium streaming channels starting at just $50. No production budget required because AI generates your commercial from your website. No agency needed. Your ad can be live in minutes.
How to take advantage of this trend
Understanding that YouTube dominates TV viewing is useful. Knowing how to act on that information is what actually grows your business.
Start with a test campaign
Don't overthink your first TV campaign. Start small, learn what works, then scale:
Budget: Begin with $100-$200 to gather initial data. This is enough to reach several thousand households.
Duration: Run for 2 weeks to capture viewing pattern data across weekdays and weekends.
Targeting: Start with your local area (15-25 mile radius for local businesses).
Creative: Use AI-generated video to minimize production costs.
Optimize your targeting
YouTube's TV viewers aren't randomly distributed. Consider geographic targeting to focus on your service area, daypart targeting where evening hours capture the most engaged viewers, content targeting to align with your business category, and demographic layering to focus on likely customers.
Measure what matters
TV advertising works differently than performance marketing. Track brand search lift (are more people Googling your business name?), website traffic increases during campaigns, QR code scans for direct attribution, and customer surveys asking how they heard about you.
Scale what works
Once you have baseline data, increase budget on winning creative, expand geographic targeting gradually, and test additional streaming platforms beyond YouTube (Hulu, Roku, Peacock). The key is starting. Many small businesses never advertise on TV because they assume it's not for them. The data says otherwise.
The bigger picture
YouTube's TV growth is part of a larger streaming revolution that's fundamentally reshaping the television industry.
The streaming milestone
Streaming overall now accounts for over 40% of all TV viewing in the U.S., up from 28% just three years ago. In May 2025, streaming crossed a historic threshold: for the first time, streaming viewership exceeded broadcast and cable combined. This isn't a temporary blip. Every month brings new records for streaming share.
The ad-supported shift
What makes this moment significant for advertisers is where the growth is happening. Free and ad-supported platforms are driving much of the actual growth. YouTube leads this shift, but FAST services like Tubi and Pluto TV are growing rapidly. Even Netflix, Disney+, and Max have introduced ad-supported tiers.
The democratization continues
For small businesses, this trend is unambiguously positive. Every percentage point that shifts from linear TV to streaming represents inventory that's more targetable, more measurable, and more accessible to smaller budgets. The days when TV advertising required six-figure budgets are definitively over.
What experts are saying
Industry analysts have noted YouTube's TV growth as one of the most significant shifts in media consumption in decades.
Nielsen's commentary on their April 2025 Gauge report highlighted that "YouTube's expansion from mobile-first platform to living room staple represents a fundamental change in how Americans define television." The research firm noted that YouTube's growth has come primarily at the expense of cable networks, not other streaming services.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) analysis noted: "The rise of ad-supported streaming, led by YouTube, is the biggest shift in TV advertising since cable fragmented the broadcast monopoly. Except this time, the beneficiaries aren't just big brands with big budgets."
What's notable across all expert commentary is the consensus: this isn't a temporary blip. The structural shift toward streaming, and specifically ad-supported streaming, represents a permanent change in the television landscape.
Common questions answered
How is TV viewing share measured?
Nielsen's Gauge methodology measures TV viewing across all sources: broadcast, cable, streaming, and other. It tracks what's being watched on the TV screen regardless of delivery method, using a panel of representative U.S. households combined with set-top box data and smart TV automatic content recognition (ACR). The data is released monthly with approximately a one-month lag.
Does YouTube TV viewing include YouTube TV (the live TV service)?
Nielsen's Gauge reports separate YouTube (the free streaming platform and app) from YouTube TV (the live TV subscription service). The 10.6% figure refers to the main YouTube platform, which includes free videos, YouTube Premium, and YouTube Music on TV screens. YouTube TV, the live cable replacement service, is counted separately.
What counts as "TV viewing" in these stats?
TV viewing in Nielsen's methodology refers to content watched on a television screen, regardless of how it's delivered. This includes traditional broadcast and cable, streaming apps on smart TVs, streaming through devices like Roku and Fire TV, gaming consoles used for streaming, and content cast from mobile devices to TVs. Mobile and computer viewing are tracked separately.
Is YouTube's dominance expected to continue?
All major forecasts project continued growth for YouTube's TV viewing share through at least 2027. Factors supporting this include continued smart TV penetration (now 85% of U.S. households), YouTube's ongoing investment in living room experiences, growth of YouTube Premium, and the expansion of YouTube Shorts to TV screens.
Can small businesses actually afford YouTube TV advertising?
Yes. Through programmatic advertising platforms, small businesses can run YouTube TV ads with budgets starting at $50. This is possible because of automated buying systems that aggregate small advertisers, AI tools that create broadcast-ready ads without production budgets, and precise targeting that eliminates waste on audiences outside your market.
Supporting data
Additional context on YouTube and streaming TV viewing:
Total streaming share: Streaming represents 40.3% of U.S. TV time (Nielsen Gauge, April 2025)
YouTube growth: YouTube TV viewing up 120%+ since 2021 (Nielsen)
Smart TV penetration: 85% of U.S. households have at least one smart TV (Parks Associates, 2025)
Ad-supported dominance: 73% of all TV viewing is ad-supported (Nielsen, Q1 2025)
CTV ad spend: U.S. CTV advertising projected to reach $30+ billion in 2025 (eMarketer)
Cord-cutting pace: 6 million U.S. households cut the cord in 2024 (Leichtman Research, 2025)
Average streaming time: U.S. adults stream an average of 3+ hours per day (Nielsen)
YouTube monthly TV viewers: Over 100 million Americans watch YouTube on a TV screen monthly (YouTube)
All sources linked above. Data current as of April 2025.
Get started with TV advertising
Ready to reach YouTube viewers on the biggest screen in the house? Adwave makes TV advertising accessible for small businesses, with campaigns starting at just $50. No production budget required because our AI creates your commercial from your website. No agency needed. Your ad can be live in minutes.