YouTube Surpasses TV as Top U.S. Media Platform in 2025

As of October 2025, the media landscape in the U.S. has undergone a significant shift, with YouTube emerging as the top media platform. According to Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge report, YouTube now accounts for around 13% of all viewing in the country, a remarkable turnaround from previous years.

This shift has manifested in various ways, including the growing popularity of YouTube-native content. The British comedy series Taskmaster, which had previously struggled to find success in the U.S. when it was remade for Comedy Central in 2018, has now found a massive following on YouTube. The show's YouTube channel has surpassed 1.2 billion views, with a considerable percentage coming from North America. Season 19, which featured American comic Jason Mantzoukas, garnered nearly 20 million North American views and helped subscriptions rise by 200,000.

The industry's response to this trend has been equally noteworthy. Established production houses, traditionally focused on traditional TV, are now actively developing content directly for YouTube. Even the makers of The Traitors, Studio Lambert, are in early-stage development on formats that can thrive on the platform. This shift reflects the growing recognition that YouTube has become a viable distribution channel, even for established TV shows.