Despite challengers to the throne, YouTube continues to reign in user’s watch-time and engagement with an incredible boost so far in 2024.

YouTube remains the world’s number one place for video content online. The Google owned platform hosts video content from users and brands around the world and is watched for billions of hours every single day.

Their place at the top has been questioned with the evolvement of video content through apps like TikTok, which have made short and vertical videos the norm. But YouTube remains a huge player, not just thanks to it’s own TikTok-like YouTube Shorts.

The video giant has just posted it’s earnings of $8.1 billion in ad sales for the first quarter of 2024. This is not only its highest Q1 in history, but a 21% increase year-on-year. This shows YouTube aren’t just at the top of the game, but continue to grow considerably.

YouTube smashed Wall Street analysts’ predictions of $7.72 billion for the quarter. The figure represents revenue generated from advertising and does not account for cash earned from YouTube Premium subscriptions and other creator payments. In 2023, YouTube Premium and YouTube TV generated $15 billion in revenue.

In February, YouTube celebrated 100 million subscribers now signed up to YouTube Music and Premium, their two subscription offerings. Meanwhile, YouTube Shorts are generating over 70 billion daily views.

Everything you need to know to use YouTube Shorts as an artist

Alphabet CEO, Sundar Pichai said: “Our results in the first quarter reflect strong performance from Search, YouTube, and Cloud. Our leadership in AI research and infrastructure, and our global product footprint, position us well for the next wave of AI innovation.”

As a musician, you have 3 different ways to earn from YouTube. Upload your music for streaming on YouTube Music, monetise uses of your music with Content ID, and add your music to the YouTube Shorts library. Upload your music for free at www.routenote.com.