You might think that YouTube isn’t a way people watch TV, but you’d be wrong. YouTubesecured 11.6% of all TV viewingin February, giving it the edge over the likes of Netflix,Prime Video, Paramount+, and any other streaming platform.
I think the statistics prove it’s time to start taking YouTube more seriously, especially when you factor in that more people are watching videos on their TV than on their phones these days. YouTube is home to all types of long-form content, and you can find quite a few livestreams at any given time of the day. Coupled with the fact that it’s free of charge, it’s a service that has to start being taken seriously. What’s even crazier about it is that the growth seen by YouTube doesn’t have a ceiling. That should be very scary for anybody trying to compete.
YouTube thinks it needs to be like Netflix to get its users to spend more money
YouTube’s upcoming TV app update will reportedly showcase paid shows from other streaming services on its homepage.
YouTube can’t be ignored any longer
It’s a true powerhouse
Maybe a decade or so ago, a lot people thought YouTube was home to a bunch of funny videos or people playing video games, and while that’s still the case, there’s a lot more to the service now. There are plenty of deep dives, news broadcasts, and TV show clips to keep up with. For example, I’m a big WWE fan, and if I happen to miss an event, YouTube lets me watch pretty much anything important that happened during the show, and there are often exclusive clips there too. In some ways, YouTube acts as an essential arm of the live TV service.
The reality is that a lot of people get their entertainment and even their news from YouTube, so it’s time for the public to wake up and realize YouTube is a juggernaut in the streaming world. Although YouTube is free to use, there is a subscription that makes the viewing experience much better, and you might be shocked to know the price rivals the cost of a streaming service subscription.
Ads are a part of everyone’s viewing experience unless you pay more to get rid of them. This applies to regular cable, streaming services, and YouTube. A lot of people use ad-blockers toget around YouTube ads, but that’s not so easily done if your TV is the main way you digest content on YouTube, something that recent statistics indicate is skyrocketing in popularity. If you’re anything like me, then you’re looking for the most comfortable way to watch something, and that means getting rid of ads.
Sorry Spotify, YouTube is now officially the biggest podcast platform in the world
YouTube is positioning itself as a leader in the podcast industry, with over one billion viewers tuning into podcasts every month on the platform.
YouTube has uncapped potential
A very unique situation
While other platforms like Netflix and Max have to make money to populate the service with more content, YouTube doesn’t have that issue. YouTube creators make videos to make money, and they benefit greatly from putting out good content that viewers want to watch. That gives not only them value, but also YouTube value. It should come as no surprise that people are tuning into YouTube more than other streaming services thanks to the sheer amount of content found there.
Ease of access is a big thing, and YouTube is a household name that has just about anything you could ever think of. No, you won’t get exclusive blockbuster movies on the platform, but there’s a surprising number of movies on the service for you to watch. Despite being decades old at this point, YouTube continues to grow and disrupt the industry. I feel weird calling it my favorite streaming service, but when I sit down and think about it, I think it really is my favorite.
Retraining my YouTube algorithm saved my sanity
Get better video recommendations by starting fresh.
