YouTube dominates streaming, forcing media companies to decide whether it’s friend or foe

3 comments

1. It has the biggest free options.

2. It’s been almost 20 years since the founding of [Alphabet’s](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/GOOG/) YouTube, and Hollywood still doesn’t really know what to do with it.

   YouTube, which effectively invented user-generated content, claims a daunting share of overall media consumption. And it’s no longer just dominating the internet, it’s dominating the living room, too. YouTube made up 9.7% of all viewership on connected and traditional TVs in the U.S. in May — the largest share of TV for a streaming platform [ever reported](https://www.yahoo.com/tech/youtube-accounted-nearly-10-tv-120000665.html#:~:text=YouTube%20was%20once%20again%20the,ever%20reported%20in%20The%20Gauge.) by [Nielsen’s monthly “The Gauge” report](https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2024/the-gauge-may-2024-young-sheldon-covergent-tv-win/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20%E2%80%93%20June%2018%2C%202024,across%20broadcast%2C%20cable%20and%20streaming.). [Netflix](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/NFLX/) ranked second, claiming 7.6% of viewership. 

   But media companies such as Netflix, [Disney](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/DIS/) and [Warner Bros. Discovery](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/WBD/) aren’t sure whether YouTube is friend or foe.

3. Well, when I was able to find better history documentaries on YouTube than on the History Channel…for “free”…

   It’s funny how executives are always the problem. They can’t see basic logic and they’re always mad people don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for disappointing content. Capitalism can be a brain disease