$40 billion versus $37 billion: how YouTube surpassed traditional media
12 March 09:26
In 2025, the YouTube video platform received $40.4 billion in advertising revenue, exceeding the combined advertising revenue of four major Hollywood companies. This was reported by TechCrunch, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
These are media conglomerates:
- The Walt Disney Company
- NBCUniversal
- Paramount Global
- Warner Bros. Discovery
Together, they earned $37.8 billion, which is less than YouTube’s revenue.
A sharp change in the situation over the year
Back in 2024, the balance was different.
At that time, YouTube’s advertising revenue was $36.1 billion, while the four Hollywood studios together earned $41.8 billion.
However, the situation has changed over the year: the digital platform has increased its revenues, while traditional media companies continue to lose part of the advertising market.
Why studios are losing out to platforms
Large media companies face several problems:
- a decline in traditional television audiences
- rising content production costs
- the need to invest billions in their own streaming services.
Despite the launch of streaming video platforms, it is becoming increasingly difficult for studios to compete with the scale of YouTube’s audience.
YouTube’s overall business is growing
In 2025, YouTube’s total revenue reached $60 billion.
At the same time, a significant portion of its profits now comes not only from advertising, but also from paid services, including:
- YouTube TV
- YouTube Premium
- YouTube Music
- NFL Sunday Ticket
This shows how the platform is slowly turning into a full-fledged media ecosystem.
YouTube still lags behind Meta
Despite record performance, YouTube still lags significantly behind another digital giant.
Meta Platforms generated $196.2 billion in advertising revenue in 2025.
However, advertisers are increasingly investing in YouTube, as this is where young audiences spend a significant amount of their time online.
In the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, the platform’s advertising revenue amounted to $11.4 billion.
New tools and content control
At the beginning of the year, YouTube also announced the launch of new parental control tools.
These tools allow parents to better control:
- what content their children watch
- how recommendations work
- which videos are available to younger audiences.
This step is part of the platform’s effort to strengthen the trust of users and advertisers.
