Maya Robertson
In a historic shift within the global media landscape, YouTube is expected to outpace Disney and claim the title of the world’s largest media company by the end of 2025. According to Michael Nathanson, a media analyst at MoffettNathanson, YouTube’s surging revenues and unmatched viewer engagement have positioned it as “the new king of all media.” The Google-owned platform pulled in a staggering $54.2 billion in 2024—just a few billion shy of Disney’s $59.7 billion, excluding its parks and experiences operations.
What makes YouTube’s rise even more compelling is its diversified revenue structure. Its $36.15 billion in ad revenue for 2024 marked a 15% year-over-year increase, with Q4 alone setting a record high of $10.5 billion. But advertising is just one piece of the puzzle. Subscription services—ranging from YouTube Premium and YouTube Music to NFL Sunday Ticket and YouTube TV—are propelling the company into new growth territories. YouTube TV, launched in 2017, now ranks as the fourth largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. with over 9.4 million subscribers and could top the list by 2026.
Nielsen’s February 2025 Media Distributor Gauge report further underscores YouTube’s dominance. The platform accounted for 11.6% of all time spent viewing—its highest ever and ahead of Disney, which held 10%. This was YouTube’s second time ranking first, following a previous lead in November 2024. Fox and Netflix trailed closely behind. Interestingly, viewership gains are not confined to Gen Z or Millennials; the biggest growth in watch time over the past two years has come from adults 65 and older, with a staggering 96% increase.
If it were an independent company, YouTube could command a valuation between $475 billion and $550 billion—nearly one-third of Alphabet’s total market cap. The platform is uniquely positioned to become a central hub for professional video, offering content aggregation that could rival traditional pay-TV providers. Nathanson believes this puts YouTube in an ideal spot to carve out a significant share of the $85 billion U.S. consumer pay-TV market and the $30 billion streaming segment outside Netflix.
Beyond its business metrics, YouTube continues to build cultural momentum. Its fourth annual Brandcast is set for May 14, 2025, at New York’s Lincoln Center, timed with upfront season. Lady Gaga is scheduled to perform, and the evening will feature top creators like MrBeast, who now has over 378 million subscribers. The presentation will be hosted by Brittany Broski and is expected to draw hundreds of advertisers eager to tap into YouTube’s massive user base.
As cord-cutting reshapes the television industry, YouTube TV has rapidly expanded, with Nathanson projecting 11.5 million subscribers by 2027—eclipsing Charter and Comcast. Since its inception, YouTube TV’s monthly subscription price has risen from $35 to $83. Meanwhile, the NFL Sunday Ticket deal, a $14 billion seven-year contract, has fortified YouTube’s place in sports streaming, further bundling the package with YouTube TV to attract football fans nationwide.
The subscription ecosystem is also booming. In March 2025, YouTube revealed it now has over 125 million subscribers for YouTube Music and Premium—up from 100 million just a year earlier. The company also introduced a more affordable Premium Lite option at $7.99 per month. With YouTube Premium priced at $13.99 and Music at $10.99, the platform is growing its recurring revenue base significantly.
Podcasting is another area where YouTube is making surprising strides. Edison Research reported that Gen Z now favors YouTube over Spotify for podcast listening. In February alone, users watched more than 400 million hours of podcasts on YouTube via living room devices—solidifying its role as a multimedia powerhouse across demographics.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, YouTube has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Launched on Valentine’s Day 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, the platform’s first video, “Me at the Zoo,” uploaded on April 23 of that year, hinted at a revolution in content sharing. Just 18 months later, Google acquired YouTube for $1.65 billion—now seen as one of the most valuable tech acquisitions in history.
As Nathanson puts it, “YouTube has substantial runway for further growth—not just in monetization but in redefining how professional video is distributed and consumed.” Whether through direct subscriptions, advertising, or its role as a video aggregator, YouTube’s potential appears far from capped. Its next chapter could not only see it surpass Disney but fundamentally reshape the architecture of global media.
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