This result was made possible by a sharp increase in revenue, as YouTube earned only $36.1 billion in 2024, while the mentioned companies earned $41.8 billion. Experts point to the significance of these changes, noting that they indicate a transformation in content consumption and the adaptation of advertising strategies.
While studios continue to invest huge amounts in creating films and series, they face several challenges:
- declining audiences for traditional television;
- rising costs of content production;
- increasing competition from digital platforms.
According to a report from its parent company Alphabet, YouTube's total revenue in 2025 reached $60 billion, a significant portion of which came from subscriptions. This includes:
- YouTube TV;
- YouTube Premium;
- YouTube Music;
- NFL Sunday Ticket.
Major studios are also continuing to develop their subscription services. For example, Disney collected $60.9 billion, including subscription revenues.
Despite the successful results, YouTube still lags behind the largest tech companies in advertising revenue. For instance, Meta earned $196.2 billion from advertising in 2025. However, advertisers' interest in YouTube continues to grow, especially among young people, who increasingly prefer to spend time on this platform. In the fourth quarter of 2025, YouTube's advertising revenue amounted to $11.4 billion.
In addition to this, the company is actively working on improving safety, including expanding its likeness detection program—a system based on AI that recognizes faces and voices of people in videos. This system is designed to identify deepfakes and can alert users to potential violations, as well as initiate content removal if it does not comply with platform rules. The pilot program already includes representatives of authorities, politicians, and journalists.
