YouTube Dominates TV Screens, Surging to Record 11.6% Share in February!
YouTube has hit a new milestone, making up 11.6% of all TV viewing in February, according to Nielsen’s latest Distributor Gauge Report.
This is the second time YouTube has finished at the top. It moved ahead of Disney, which includes ESPN, ABC, and Disney’s streaming services. Fox Corp. came in third, boosted by Super Bowl viewership and the success of its streaming platform, Tubi.
YouTube has been growing steadily, and its share of TV viewing has increased by 53% in just two years, rising from 7.9% to 11.6%. More people are watching YouTube on TV screens instead of phones or computers.
Nielsen also found that older viewers are watching more YouTube than before. In the past two years, YouTube viewership among adults aged 65 and over has nearly doubled, growing by 96%. This group now watches at nearly the same rate as children aged 2 to 11.
Unlike other networks that rely on big events, YouTube’s success comes from its variety of creator-driven content. The data only covers U.S. viewers, but YouTube has billions of users worldwide.
Disney’s drop in ranking happened because it no longer had the boost from NFL playoffs and the College Football Playoffs, which helped its numbers in January.
Fox benefited from the Super Bowl and a 3% rise in Fox News Channel viewership. Fox Sports 1 also saw a 45% increase in viewership, thanks to NASCAR races.
YouTube’s rapid growth shows that more people are turning to streaming platforms instead of traditional TV
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