YouTube generated over $60 billion in revenue in 2025, surpassing Netflix’s $45 billion, as the platform made a significant push for paid subscribers. This marks the first time Google has independently reported YouTube's annual earnings since its acquisition in 2006.

• YouTube's $60 billion revenue includes both advertising and paid subscriptions, exceeding rival Netflix's $45 billion.
• Google’s Sundar Pichai highlighted YouTube Premium as a key driver for the growth in paid subscriptions across Google consumer services, reaching over 325 million in 2025.
• Philipp Schindler, chief business officer at Google, noted "strong traction" in YouTube subscriptions, with innovations like cheaper YouTube TV and Premium tiers.
• Ofcom reported YouTube as the second most-watched media service in the UK, after BBC, with 94% of UK adult internet users spending an average of 51 minutes daily on the platform.
• While Forrester analyst Mike Proulx noted the difference in content generation (user-generated vs. "Hollywood"-generated), Netflix boss Ted Sarandos remarked, "YouTube is not just cat videos anymore... YouTube is TV."
• Concerns have been raised by some creators, including MrBeast, regarding the impact of AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews on video traffic, leading to investigations by the European Commission and scrutiny from the UK markets regulator.