When YouTube launched nearly 20 years ago, its first clip was a grainy video of co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of an elephant at the San Diego Zoo and speaking to the camera.
It's not necessarily must-see TV.
Since then, the online video giant has become the entertainment of choice for an increasing number of billions of people. And while the Google-owned service is still considered a destination for people who want to watch short, entertaining videos on their smartphones, the way Americans watch it has changed significantly.
More and more people are watching YouTube on connected TVs rather than laptops or mobile devices, treating YouTube like a regular TV destination.
The San Bruno, California-based video giant said more than 150 million people in the U.S. watch YouTube on connected TV screens each month, citing data from December 2022. This is an 11% increase from 2021. YouTube has consistently been the most-watched streaming service on U.S. television each month, surpassing even Netflix and Amazon's Prime Video starting in February 2023, according to Nielsen. The data company says the service accounts for nearly 10% of TV viewing.
According to research firm Emarketer, U.S. adults watch 36 minutes of YouTube every day, including 17 minutes on a connected TV, 4 minutes on a desktop or laptop computer, and 15 minutes on a mobile device.
A variety of content drives the company's evolution. According to YouTube, TV accounted for more than 50% of the viewing time for this year's Coachella livestream, the highest ever. YouTube says the number of shorts (clips of 60 seconds or less) viewed on connected TVs more than doubled last year.
Christian Estrien, YouTube's vice president of product management for connected TV, said: “What we're hearing from our users is that they don't just watch their favorite creators, they watch highlights from their favorite sporting events, listen to their favorite artists, listen to their favorite podcasts, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they listen to their favorite creators, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they watch their favorite creators, they listen to their favorite artists, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they watch their favorite creators, they watch highlights from their favorite sporting events, they listen to their favorite artists, they watch their favorite podcasts, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they watch their favorite creators, they watch highlights from their favorite sporting events, they listen to their favorite artists, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they watch their favorite creators, they watch highlights from their favorite sporting events, they listen to their favorite artists, they listen to their favorite podcasts, they listen to their favorite podcasts. We want to be able to do it in one experience.”
With consumers choosing between multiple streaming services, YouTube has the advantage of having a wide range of options, from live sports to user-generated videos. The company stated that the increase in TV viewing time is due to the increasing popularity of connected TVs.
TV viewing time is useful for streamers who want to earn more advertising dollars. This week, television networks and streaming services Amazon and Netflix held gala presentations to advertisers to tease upcoming shows.
YouTube on Wednesday rolled out new features to advertisers, including branded QR codes and non-skippable assets on connected TVs.
“YouTube is seeing itself not just as a digital advertising option, but in the same advertising capacity as other streaming services,” said Brett Sappington, founder of Dallas-based media insights firm Sappington Media. I think I would like them to do that,” he said.
YouTube has introduced features to improve your TV viewing experience, including the option to watch Coachella's performance in a 4-way split screen. The company also has shopping options.
“This is not my father's TV or my grandmother's TV,” Ostrien said. “This is television reimagined for a new generation.”
Ostrien said YouTube video creators are also incorporating TV viewing. According to YouTube, the number of top YouTube creators who get most of their viewing time from TV screens has quintupled in the past three years.
YouTube is also getting a boost from a deal that will make it the home of pro football's “NFL Sunday Ticket” game package. Fans will watch the live game on YouTube on Sunday and then come back to watch clips and commentary from creators through the video library, Ostrien said.
“If you’re a soccer fan, you can always access YouTube with a surround sound experience,” he said.
YouTube and other streaming services have been competing for rights to sports leagues to increase viewership. Amazon hosts the NFL's “Thursday Night Football” games and is bidding on packages for NBA games. On Wednesday, Netflix announced it had secured two 2024 Christmas NFL games.
