YouTube surpasses Hollywood giants in advertising revenue

YouTube has reached a striking level in advertising revenues, according to new forecasts announced for 2025. Data shared by research company MoffettNathanson shows that the platform’s position in the advertising market is gradually strengthening. Accordingly, YouTube’s advertising revenue in 2025 increased to approximately 40.4 billion dollars. This figure includes Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Warner Bros. It was above Discovery’s total advertising revenue in the same period. The combined advertising revenue of these four major media companies was calculated as approximately 37.8 billion dollars.

This table clearly reveals the impact of digital transformation, which has accelerated in the entertainment and media industry in recent years. Traditional media companies, which have reached a large audience through television broadcasting and big-budget productions for many years, have now lost a significant portion of the audience to digital platforms. In addition, there is also a significant change in the budget distribution of advertisers. As advertising investments increasingly turn to online video platforms, YouTube has become one of the companies that benefit most from this change.

The increase in YouTube’s advertising revenue reveals an even more striking picture when compared to the previous year’s data. In 2024, YouTube’s advertising revenue remained at approximately $36.1 billion. In the same period, Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery’s total advertising revenue was recorded as approximately 41.8 billion dollars. Despite this, the balance changed in 2025 and YouTube managed to surpass the total of these four major media companies in advertising revenue.

YouTube’s total revenue reached $60 billion

According to the financial results shared by Alphabet, YouTube’s total revenue increased to 60 billion dollars by 2025. Although advertising revenues continue to constitute a significant part of the platform, it appears that the revenue model is not based solely on ads. In addition, subscription-based services are also gaining an increasingly larger share.

Paid services such as YouTube TV, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music and NFL Sunday Ticket have significantly increased the platform’s subscription revenues. This table also shows that digital platforms are turning to different sources of income other than advertising. For comparison, it is known that Netflix’s total revenue in 2025 is approximately 45.2 billion dollars. This reveals that YouTube’s total revenue exceeds many large digital platforms.

On the other hand, traditional media companies continue to generate significant revenue from subscription-based models. For example, Disney’s total revenue from its media activities reached approximately $60.9 billion in 2025, including subscription services. Despite this, the decline in the number of linear television viewers and increasing content production costs continue to challenge the economic balance of the sector.

YouTube’s advertising revenues are still lower compared to technology giants. For example, Meta’s advertising revenue in 2025 was announced as approximately 196.2 billion dollars. Despite this, advertisers’ interest in YouTube continues to increase. Especially young users’ intense preference for the platform in video content consumption plays a decisive role in directing advertising budgets to YouTube. The platform reportedly generated $11.4 billion in ad revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone.