Those 30-second unskippable ads before your favorite creator’s video are adding up to something massive. YouTube generated $40.4 billion in advertising revenue last year, according to new estimates from media research firm MoffettNathanson, and that figure tops the combined $37.8 billion ad haul from four of Hollywood’s biggest players, Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The numbers mark a major shift from 2024. Back then, YouTube’s $36.1 billion still trailed that same group of traditional media companies, which pulled in $41.8 billion together. Add Fox to the mix and legacy TV still edges out YouTube at $44.8 billion, but the trajectory is clear.
The ad money isn’t the only number that matters
YouTube’s lead extends beyond the revenue sheets. The service captured 12.5 percent of US television viewership in January, per Nielsen data, beating the combined streaming numbers from Disney, NBCU, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Netflix, the
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