Weekly Prompt: YouTube dominates TV streaming in US

YouTube dominates TV streaming in US and introduces new TV channel pages

Latest stats from Nielsen show that YouTube has emerged as a dominant force in US TV streaming. According to Nielsen's reports, YouTube accounted for 8.6% of television screen viewing in January, surpassing competitors like Netflix, which saw 7.9% of TV usage. This marks 12 consecutive months of YouTube holding the top spot in TV streaming.

Separately, the platform announced that viewers globally now watch more than 1 billion hours on average of YouTube content on their TVs every day, and the number of top creators that receive the majority of their watch time on TVs has increased by more than 400%.

Recognizing this trend, YouTube introduced new TV channel pages aimed at enhancing viewer engagement. These updates include larger channel art displays and prominent "Subscribe" buttons to help drive growth. The move aligns with the evolving preferences of consumers, particularly Gen Z, who increasingly favour user-generated content over traditional TV shows.

YouTube's dominance in TV streaming reflects shifting consumption habits, with viewers turning to the platform as their primary source of entertainment. This is evidenced by YouTube Shorts experiencing a significant increase in views on connected TVs, up by over 100% in the past year.

While YouTube maintains dominance in living rooms, TikTok prevails on mobile devices and recently started testing allowing users to upload 30-minute videos which could pose a challenge to YouTube. TikTok also launched a native app for the Apple Vision Pro, but YouTube has no dedicated app for this device so far.

Sources: Social Media Today, TechCrunch, The Verge

Additional prompts

Instagram is expanding its marketplace tool to facilitate connections between brands and creators for paid partnerships or ads in eight additional countries: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Japan, India, and Brazil. Initially tested in the U.S. in 2022, the platform has since onboarded "thousands" of creators and brands. Read more

Meta is testing allowing users to cross-post updates from Facebook to Threads, expanding its efforts in content cross-pollination. This test adds to existing features enabling cross-posting between Instagram and Facebook. Threads updates can also be effortlessly shared to Instagram, and Facebook integrates Threads highlights into its feeds. Read more

Spotify has launched a new in-house “music advisory agency” for brands. While not necessarily a creator marketplace, the programme has a similar aim — it will facilitate connections between brands and emerging artists for various campaigns benefiting both parties. Read more

Threads has now launched a live test of the drafts option with selected users, while it’s also added an integrated camera function, and a new pathway to challenge its moderation rulings. Read more

TikTok is expanding its music features, enabling users in over 160 new countries to add TikTok-discovered music to their preferred streaming platforms. This feature, first launched in the US in November, integrates platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music with the video app. Read more