‘YouTube is the new television,’ CEO declares

‘YouTube is the new television,’ CEO declares
More YouTube viewing is now done on TVs than on mobile phones, according to a new blog post from CEO Neal Mohan.

Ready to feel old? YouTube is turning 20 this year, and those who vividly recall the platform’s birth in 2005 must now grapple with that fact. But YouTube itself is feeling no pangs of anxiety about heading into its third decade; rather, it is looking toward the future. That future includes an expanding presence on larger screens, as YouTube CEO Neal Mohan made clear in his annual letter released on Tuesday. In it, he declared “YouTube is the new television.”

Key Details:

• More YouTube viewing is now done on TVs than on phones in the United States.
• The platform is testing a new “Watch With” feature for content creators.
• Mohan promised continued improvement for YouTube TV features like multiview.

In the blog post, Mohan revealed that more YouTube watching is now done on TVs than on phones in the United States. People are becoming more and more accustomed to thinking of YouTube as a streaming platform like Netflix and Hulu, and want to watch it on the biggest screen in their home, rather than something people only watch on their mobile devices.
Over 1 billion hours’ worth of YouTube videos are watched on TV every day, according to the CEO. This shift is also allowing YouTube to dominate multiple screens with a single video. With focus shifting to televisions, YouTube is also offering a second-screen experience that allows watchers to stream a video on their TV while using their phone to easily like, subscribe, and comment while also shopping for products they see in the videos.
YouTube is also experimenting with a new feature called “Watch With,” which lets creators provide commentary and real-time reactions to live events like NFL games. YouTube says it will continue to experiment with other sports and content as the year goes on. These types of alternate broadcasts have become incredibly popular across cable and streaming platforms as ways to engage different types of audiences. From the ManningCast versions of “Monday Night Football” to “Field Pass With The Pat McAfee Show” on the ESPN family of networks to DudePerfect and stat-driven alt-casts of “Thursday Night Football” on Prime Video, clearly streaming services are trying to maximize the must-see nature of live sporting events.
Mohan also pledged to continue improving features on YouTube TV. Specifically, he cited Key Plays and multiview, which got a big overhaul in 2024 when it switched from forcing viewers to choose between pre-set packages of multiple NFL games to allowing audiences to swap games in and out of their quad box at will in certain situations.
The past 20 years have seen YouTube grow and evolve almost continuously. The service plans to continue seeking innovative ways to keep users coming back and to keep itself as the No. 1 streaming service in the world.