Since its inception, YouTube was synonymous with personal entertainment: short videos we saw alone on the computer or on the mobile. However, the video platform has adapted to the times, investing great efforts to become the main streaming platform also on smart TV. And it is a long time since YouTube also won our rooms.
More Smart TV, more YouTube. The platform has gone from being a simple alternative to traditional television, its main competitor. According to the last Nielsen datathe platform already represents 12.5% of the total television viewing time in the United States, surpassing Netflix and other streaming services. In fact, according to study figures, US users now pass an average of More than one billion hours a day watching YouTube on its televisions.
In Spain, the platform is also sweeping at Smart TV. We have the example in The Barlovento Study in which they explain that, only in June 2025, 10.1 million unique users agreed to YouTube from their television connected in Spain.
The sofa phenomenon. This migration to large screens has completely changed consumption behavior. It is not for less, because the smart TV now provide greater facilities When reproducing content from YouTube or any streaming service. Sending content from the mobile is easier than ever, and also many content creators have also adapted their videos to television consumption, with much more elaborate and more ‘suitable’ productions to enjoy them on the big screen (more resolution, production levels, rhythm, etc.).
In WSJ They highlight the statements of American YouTube stars such as Rhett & Link with their “Good Mythical Morning” program, who confirm that 53% of their visualizations come from televisions. Group consumption is increasingly widespread, and it is no longer so strange to wear a background background video on TV with family and friends around.
Longer, more professional content. Producers and content creators have quickly captured this trend and are adapting their content. Long -lasting proposals (more than 15 minutes) have experienced an exponential growthespecially on televisions. We see this trend reflected from star canals such as Mrbeast and Yes Theory to national referents such as Ibai Llanos, Jordi Wild or Clavero, among many others, where productions of more than half an hour, with professional equipment and with a content adapted to play it on a television with family and friends. In addition to because many times the content asks for it, there are also other reasons: to maintain the viewer’s attention for a longer time and maximize advertising income through intermediate ads.
Between the lines. YouTube has not forgotten the consumption of individual content. In fact, their shorts They are paving their transformation towards a multiformat and multidispositive content platform. A strategy that combines the best of both worlds without giving up the original YouTube DNA. In the United States and other regions, the platform has greater similarities to the rest of streaming platforms, since it has functions such as “shows” (which allows you to see complete seasons such as in Netflix and many others), traditional television channels and personalized recommendations adapted to large screens.
The conquest of the TV by YouTube is a battle that has been fighting for many yearsonly that they have taken more than what they expected, partly for the arrival of new technologies to televisions to further facilitate their use.
The price of success. This transition to group consumption is also accompanied by an increasing advertising saturation. Ads can occupy between 15% and 20% of the total visualization time, especially on televisions, where YouTube has implemented specific interactive formats such as QR codes for direct purchases. The platform has also hardened Measures against advertising blockersconverting Premium YouTube into the only official escape route for an interruption experience.
And now what. YouTube is in a unique position: it has made streaming overcome for the first time in history to combined traditional television and cable consumption in its predominant region, according to Nielsen. His next challenge will be to maintain the balance between aggressive monetization and the user experience, especially when more and more content creators who seek user attention arise.
Analysts like Wells Fargo They suggest that Netflix should invest 500 million dollars to attract 20-30 from the main creators of YouTube, although several assured WSJ that there is no check large enough to abandon the audiences they have built for years. Exclusive productions as long as streaming platforms is common in large content creators such as the case of The Beast Games Mrbeast in Prime Video. Leaving a channel after so many years to create exclusive content on a platform such as Netflix, Prime or HBO, is something else.
Cover image | Xataka Smart Home
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