For a third consecutive month, YouTube tops Nielsen’s TV viewership charts.

YouTube on top in the living room

YouTube has claimed the top spot in TV viewership for the third month in a row, according to Nielsen’s April 2025 Media Distributor Gauge report. Nielsen’s report aims to give an insight into monthly TV consumption across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. This news only further cements YouTube’s dominance on TV.

In April, YouTube captured 12.4% of total TV viewing time in the US, its largest ever share. That’s up from 12% the month before, and a leap from 9.6% a year ago.

Who else is YouTube competing with?

Nielsen’s report also revealed how the rest of the industry stacks up:

  • Disney: 10.7%
  • Paramount: 8.9%
  • NBCUniversal: 8.2%
  • Netflix: 7.5%
Image credits: Nielsen

Interestingly, the rankings between the companies stayed the same for the first time since Nielsen started tracking the data in November 2023. Disney’s second-place spot was boosted by April’s top-streaming title Grey’s Anatomy, which raked up 3.9 billion watch minutes in April. Paramount saw the biggest month-on-month growth at 0.4% (based on unrounded figures).

YouTube’s dominance on TV

YouTube’s TV supremacy hasn’t come from nowhere. In February, YouTube revealed that TV screens have officially overtaken phones as the most popular way people consume YouTube content. As a result, the platform’s latest efforts have been focused towards TV.

Recent updates and initiatives include:

Speaking of podcast updates, YouTube hit 1 billion monthly podcast users earlier this year- positioning itself as a dominant force in audio-visual media. With over 400 million hours of podcasts viewed on living room devices in 2024 on the platform, it is no wonder that YouTube is maintaining its dominance as the top platform for capturing users’ attention on TV. 

YouTube is the new TV – and bigger than on phones

Want to reach more fans on the big screen?

For artists, labels, and music marketers, YouTube’s surge in TV viewership presents a massive opportunity. Not only can podcasts help engage music superfans, but the billions of TV viewers provide vast potential to increase the reach of your music.

If you’re not already optimizing your content for the TV experience, now is the time. Think long-form videos, a more lean-back experience, and making your content easy to binge.

If you’re looking to capture audience attention on TVs, check out these tips direct from YouTube themselves:

How to create engaging YouTube content for TV

Get your music on YouTube’s Content ID system and start earning if your videos are used on the platform. Start for free with RouteNote today.