Business Insider·2026-03-10 16:11Core Insights - YouTube generated $40.4 billion in ad revenue in 2025, surpassing the combined total of Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery, which was $37.8 billion [1] - YouTube's ad revenue grew by over $4 billion from 2024, when it was $36.1 billion, which was lower than the $41.8 billion from its traditional media competitors [1] - YouTube is now positioned as the world's largest media company, just behind Disney when excluding experiences revenue [5] Advertising Revenue - YouTube keeps nearly half of its ad revenue, paying creators a 55% cut on ads from standard videos [2] - MoffettNathanson predicts YouTube's ad revenue will continue to grow at a healthy rate of about 10% annually over the next three years [4] - In 2025, YouTube's ad revenue was significantly lower than tech giants like Meta and Alphabet, which generated $196.2 billion and $224.5 billion in ad revenue, respectively [5] Viewership and Subscription Revenue - YouTube generated more viewership on US TVs in January than Disney, NBCU, Paramount, and WBD's streaming services combined, capturing a 12.5% share of TV viewership [3] - YouTube brought in nearly $22 billion in subscription revenue in 2025, driven by services like YouTube TV, YouTube Premium, and YouTube Music [3] Future Growth Potential - Google aims to accelerate YouTube's growth with "skinny bundles" for YouTube TV, including a sports-focused package [4] - Analysts believe YouTube is uniquely positioned to thrive in the age of AI, suggesting it will become stronger as AI-powered videos and short-form clips become more prevalent [6]