YouTube, the world’s largest streaming platform, saw a 13.8% rise in global ad revenue in Q4 2024, surpassing $10 billion for the first time. The platform generated $10.473 billion from advertising, exceeding Wall Street’s forecast of $10.23 billion. Alongside ad revenue, YouTube also earns from YouTube TV and YouTube Premium subscriptions. Its parent company, Alphabet, reported total revenue of $96.47 billion for the quarter, with a net profit of $26.54 billion, or $2.15 per share.
Election Impact and Market Position
A major factor in YouTube’s record-breaking revenue was the U.S. presidential election, adds NIXSolutions. Political ad spending doubled compared to the 2020 campaign, driving significant growth. On election day, November 5, more than 45 million viewers watched political content on the platform. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced that combined annual revenue from Google Cloud and YouTube reached $110 billion in 2024, with YouTube’s annual ad revenue totaling $36.15 billion.
YouTube’s Market Dominance
YouTube remains the leader in TV streaming. Nielsen data from December showed that YouTube held an 11.1% share of U.S. TV views, ahead of Netflix (8.5%), Amazon Prime Video (4.0%), Hulu (2.5%), and Disney+ (2.1%). Every day, viewers worldwide watch over 1 billion hours of YouTube content on TV, and more than 500 hours of video are uploaded every minute. In addition, the platform has launched a partnership with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to help creators detect and remove AI-generated fake content.
YouTube’s strong performance underscores its dominant position in the digital video market. We’ll keep you updated on further developments and industry trends.