YouTube continues to dominate U.S. TV viewing time, capturing a record 11.1% share of total television watch time in December 2024, according to Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge. This represents a 7% increase from the previous month, surpassing competitors Netflix (8.5%) and Prime Video (4%).


The platform's success extends beyond traditional streaming, with streaming services accounting for 43.3% of total TV consumption. Notably, these figures don't include YouTube TV's linear streaming service, which boasts over eight million subscribers in the United States, suggesting an even larger total market share.

YouTube's dominance is particularly evident in the video podcast sector, where it has overtaken Spotify as the leading platform in the U.S. Users watched more than 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on living room devices in 2024, highlighting the platform's strong position in this growing market.

Spotify is actively trying to close this gap through initiatives like its video-podcast Partner Program, which shares Premium revenue with eligible creators. However, the platform faces challenges including content moderation issues and difficulties in properly classifying video podcast content. In response, Spotify has increased hiring for content moderation and safety teams.

The competition in video content delivery remains intense, but YouTube's continued growth in TV viewing share suggests its strategy is successfully meeting user preferences, particularly in the expanding video podcast segment.

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