YouTube surpasses Disney, Paramount, WBD in 2025 ad revenue
TL;DR
YouTube's 2025 ad revenue of $40.4 billion surpassed the combined $37.8 billion from Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery, marking a major shift in media dominance. This reflects changing content consumption patterns and advertiser strategies toward digital platforms.
Key Takeaways
- •YouTube's 2025 ad revenue ($40.4B) exceeded the combined total of four major Hollywood studios ($37.8B), reversing 2024's trend.
- •The shift highlights changing content consumption and advertiser migration to digital platforms as traditional studios face linear TV declines.
- •YouTube's total 2025 revenue reached $60 billion, with significant growth in subscription services like YouTube TV and Premium.
- •Despite trailing Meta's $196.2B ad revenue, YouTube attracts advertisers due to its strong audience engagement, especially among younger viewers.
- •YouTube is investing in AI, expanding likeness detection technology to combat deepfakes and protect public figures.
YouTube has hit some impressive numbers in 2025.
According to new estimates from research firm Moffett Nathanson — as reported by The Hollywood Reporter — the platform pulled in a staggering $40.4 billion in ad revenue, which is more than Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD’s) combined ad revenue, whose total came to $37.8 billion.
This shift is a clear sign of just how much content consumption has changed over the years and how advertisers have adapted their strategies.
YouTube’s ad revenue for 2025 not only topped the combined haul from the four major Hollywood studios, but also marked a huge turnaround from the previous year. In 2024, YouTube’s ad revenue of $36.1 billion fell short of the $41.8 billion in ad revenue collectively earned by Disney, NBCU, Paramount, and WBD. The tables have now turned.
For decades, these studios have been the kings of entertainment, captivating audiences with big-budget films and hit TV shows. But as traditional studios struggle with shrinking linear TV audiences and the ever-rising costs of production, YouTube is speeding ahead. Even as these companies pour millions into their own streaming platforms, it’s getting harder to keep up with YouTube’s momentum.
Last month, parent company Alphabet reported that YouTube’s total revenue in 2025 soared to $60 billion. A big portion of YouTube’s revenue now comes from subscriptions, which include services like YouTube TV, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, and NFL Sunday Ticket. (For context, that’s well above Netflix’s reported $45.2 billion for the full year.)
Disney, NBC, Paramount, and WBD are also heavily dependent on subscriptions; for instance, Disney’s media business pulled in a total of $60.9 billion in revenue last year, when you include subscriptions.
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That said, YouTube’s ad revenue still trails behind tech giants like Meta, which pulled in $196.2 billion in ad revenue in 2025. Still, advertisers are flocking to YouTube because that’s where audiences (especially younger viewers) are spending their time. YouTube’s ad revenue reached $11.4 billion in the fourth quarter.
YouTube is also stepping up its investment in AI. This week, the company announced that it’s expanding its likeness-detection technology to a pilot group of government officials, politicians, and journalists. The tech identifies AI-generated deepfakes and lets users request the removal if they believe it violates YouTube policy.