YouTube’s pivot to the silver screen has been a clear success. Neilson’s recent ‘The Gauge’ report found that consumers spent most of their time watching YouTube on their television. It’s even bigger than platforms like Disney+.
Now, a new survey by Looper Insights (via Stream TV Insider) has further solidified YouTube’s monopoly on the television market. As part of the survey, the platform polled 1,115 consumers. It asked them if they considered YouTube to be a “realistic destination” for TV shows and movies, to which a third (66%) of them agreed.
The same question was also posed to a panel of 65 media executives, and an even higher percentage (88%) of them agreed. When asked if they’d consider releasing TV shows and movies via YouTube, 86% said that they’d be willing to do so. In fact, 30% said that they are already exploring that avenue.
In addition to this, nearly half (47%) of consumers said the main place they watch YouTube is in the living room. However, while 61% of those surveyed see YouTube as a pivotal part of their streaming routine, most of them feel the platform is lacking in the premium content offered on other streamers like Netflix and Disney+.
Nonetheless, Looper reports that perception on YouTube is “changing fast,” with 52% of consumers saying they’d consider replacing streaming services with the free version of YouTube. A total of 85% of executives also claimed that they expect YouTube to start “displacing” streamer services at home.
YouTubers Often Struggle When Moving Outside YouTube
In terms of creators, Looper also found that a number of high-profile YouTubers didn’t translate well to streaming services. Examples the company provided include Molly-Mae, Liza Koshy, and Dude Perfect. While all of these influencers tried to branch out to other platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and Disney Plus, 74% of execs said that they should stick to YouTube.
“Once only considered a short-form or creator-led powerhouse, YouTube has grown to become like television — across TV screens, tablets and phones — with a growing focus on films, series, and longer-form entertainment,” Looper wrote in the report. “The scale is significant. In just one week, the top 10 YouTube channels generated a combined 6.7 billion views. One channel alone — Fufu Squishy — sees an average of 800 million weekly views, far surpassing peak numbers for many major streaming series.”
In conjunction with YouTube Shorts’ astonishing success, it’s clear that YouTube is back on top. As a creator, if there ever was a time to start building a YouTube presence, it’s now — especially if you’re hankering to be on a larger screen.
