According to Nielsen, in May 2025:

📊 YouTube captured 12.5% of all U.S. TV viewing time

📊 Netflix held 7.5%

For the first time, Netflix can’t downplay the competition. This isn’t about sleep or socializing anymore—it’s about eyeballs on screens, and YouTube is winning.

🎯 Different Models, Same Goal: Engagement
Netflix: Studio model, high production costs, upfront payments, content ownership.

YouTube: Open platform, creator-first, monetization via ad revenue, explosive scale.

During prime time, 11.1 million people are watching YouTube on TV vs. 10.7 million for Netflix. And YouTube’s lead is growing.

🔥 A New Streaming Era: From Content to Audience
Industry insiders are calling it what it is: a battle for “everyone.”

Netflix touts “intentional viewing.” YouTube fires back with “viewer freedom.”
One says “we create premium time.” The other says “we own time.”

📣 Final Thought:

Forget the streaming wars you thought you knew. The real fight isn’t about who makes the best content — it’s about who owns attention.

And right now, YouTube is winning the TV war, one cat video, podcast, and Shorts binge at a time.