YouTube achieved significant milestones in 2025.
According to research firm MoffettNathanson, reported by The Hollywood Reporter, YouTube garnered an impressive $40.4 billion in ad revenue, surpassing the combined $37.8 billion of Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
This development highlights the evolution of content consumption and advertisers’ adaptation to these changes.
YouTube’s 2025 ad revenue not only exceeded the four major Hollywood studios but also marked a notable recovery from 2024, when it earned $36.1 billion, compared to Disney, NBCU, Paramount, and WBD’s $41.8 billion combined ad revenue.
For years, studios dominated entertainment with big-budget productions. However, as they face declining linear TV audiences and rising production costs, YouTube’s influence is growing. Despite investments in streaming services, studios struggle to match YouTube’s progress.
Last month, Alphabet reported YouTube’s 2025 total revenue reached $60 billion, with substantial contributions from subscriptions to services like YouTube TV, Premium, Music, and NFL Sunday Ticket, surpassing Netflix’s $45.2 billion for the year.
Disney, NBC, Paramount, and WBD also rely heavily on subscriptions, with Disney’s media business generating $60.9 billion in total revenue last year, including subscriptions.
Despite this, YouTube’s ad revenue is still behind tech giants like Meta, which earned $196.2 billion in ads in 2025. Still, advertisers gravitate towards YouTube due to its large audience, especially among younger viewers. YouTube’s ad revenue in the fourth quarter was $11.4 billion.
YouTube is also advancing in AI investments, recently expanding its likeness detection technology to a pilot group of government officials, politicians, and journalists, identifying AI-generated deepfakes and allowing users to request their removal if they breach policy.