YouTube Just Killed the Video Star: 99 Minutes of TV vs Netflix's 93 — Cat Videos Grow Up, NFL Takes Over, and Ted Sarandos Admits 'YouTube is TV'

4 June 2026 | London, Los Angeles, New York — Updated 08:30 GMT

The cat videos grew up. And now they're coming for Netflix.

YouTube has overtaken Netflix in average daily viewing among users around the world, according to new analysis from Digital i agency across 20 international markets. Average daily usage per YouTube account rose from 87.2 minutes in 2024 to 99.1 in 2025. Netflix dropped from 100.5 to 93.4 minutes.

"YouTube is not just cat videos any more," Netflix's co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, said recently. "YouTube is TV."

The numbers back him up. TV's share of YouTube viewing time rose from 28% to 35% in just two years. Mobile viewing fell from 35% to 31%. The platform that started as a repository for skateboarding dogs and bad karaoke is now streaming the Oscars, showing NFL games, and competing head-to-head with the biggest streaming service on the planet.

In South Korea, people watch YouTube for nearly three hours a day — 161.5 minutes. In France, usage grew by a third. Gen Z still leads at 111 minutes daily, but the fastest growth is among men aged 55 to 64, up 15% since 2024.

Even Netflix itself is a huge force on YouTube. Its official channel reached 78.2 million unique accounts last year — the highest of any channel. The irony is delicious: Netflix needs YouTube to promote Netflix.

Welcome to the new media landscape — where the line between social media and television has officially disappeared.

The Great Flip: YouTube's 99 Minutes vs Netflix's 93

YouTube has overtaken Netflix in average daily viewing among users around the world, according to analysis that reveals the digital platform's ever greater media muscle.

A major shift to watching YouTube on television has fuelled a growing rivalry between the world's pre-eminent digital and streaming platforms. "YouTube is not just cat videos any more," Netflix's co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, said recently. "YouTube is TV."

Average daily usage per YouTube account rose from 87.2 minutes in 2024 to 99.1 in 2025, according to analysis conducted by the Digital i agency across 20 international markets. The figure for Netflix dropped from 100.5 to 93.4 minutes.

In the UK, Netflix remains ahead, but it is close. The average daily minutes for a Netflix viewer last year was 88.2 minutes against YouTube's 84.8.

YouTube's shift from laptops and smartphones to television also accelerated last year. TV's share of YouTube viewing time rose from 28% to 35% between January 2024 and December 2025, while mobile viewing fell from 35% to 31%.

The Netflix Paradox: Using YouTube to Beat YouTube

Netflix itself is a huge force on YouTube. Its official channel had the highest reach of any channel last year, reaching 78.2 million unique accounts. It includes whole episodes of its Our Planet series, narrated by David Attenborough.

The irony is striking: Netflix needs YouTube to promote Netflix. The streaming giant's YouTube channel outperformed every other channel on the very platform that is now beating it in daily viewing.

Muscling In: YouTube Buys the Oscars, Netflix Gets the World Cup Podcast

Both platforms have been muscling in on each other's territory in recent months. YouTube, owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, has sought to underpin its growing TV success with forays into areas traditionally covered by television networks and broadcasters.

It bought the exclusive rights to stream the Oscars in December, in a multi-year deal that includes the red carpet coverage and behind-the-scenes content, which has been the staple of broadcast coverage.

It has also been dabbling in sports rights, showing its first NFL game last year. The game took the title of the most concurrent viewers of a livestream on the platform with more than 17.3 million viewers.

Netflix has been fighting back with video podcasts, which have boomed on YouTube. It has struck a deal with The Rest Is Football podcast with Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards to stream a daily edition during the World Cup.

The major difference between the platforms is that, unlike streamers and public service broadcasters such as the BBC, YouTube does not commission content. It has attempted to commission shows through its YouTube Red and YouTube Originals projects in the past, but closed them both.

Traditional Media Cracks the Code

The Digital i analysis suggested traditional media had begun to "crack the YouTube reach code", with some now securing huge views on the site. Among the top traditional media YouTube channels were Saturday Night Live with 55.8 million viewers and Universal Pictures with 54.6 million.

Who's Watching? Gen Z Leads, Boomers Catch Up

Gen Z remained YouTube's most engaged age group last year, averaging 111 minutes a day, but growth was strongest among men aged 55 to 64, whose viewing has increased 15% since 2024. Daily average YouTube usage also increased for women of all age groups.

Of the territories surveyed, South Koreans used YouTube the most, at 161.5 minutes a day — nearly three hours. France recorded the biggest growth in daily usage, up by a third (33%).

Regulators Take Notice: BBC and ITV Want 'Enforced Prominence'

YouTube's impact in the UK has attracted the attention of regulators and the government, which have indicated they will give the BBC and ITV enforced prominence on the site. This would require YouTube to feature traditional broadcasters' content more prominently in its algorithms and recommendations.

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