YouTube tops Disney and Netflix in TV viewing, Nielsen finds
- May 27
- 2 min read
Nielsen’s latest report serves as another wake-up call that YouTube is rapidly gaining ground in the TV landscape.
On Tuesday, Nielsen released its April 2025 “Media Distributor Gauge” report, which showed that YouTube has achieved a significant milestone: It has maintained the largest share of TV viewing for three consecutive months, now accounting for 12.4% of total audience time spent watching television.
This marks a significant uptick from 12% the previous month and an even more notable increase from just 9.6% a year ago.
The new data underscores YouTube’s continued dominance in the living room, beating top media companies such as Disney, Paramount, and Netflix. Disney held the second-largest share of TV viewing in April, with 10.7% of the total.
Additionally, according to internal data from YouTube, TVs were the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2025.
Plus, YouTube’s share of TV viewing is poised for additional growth. During its annual Upfront event for advertisers earlier this month, the company announced a significant deal with the NFL. This agreement will see YouTube exclusively stream the first Friday game of the season to a global audience, marking the first time the platform has been a live broadcaster for NFL games.
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