YouTube overtakes Netflix in average daily viewing around the world

YouTube has overtaken Netflix in average daily viewing among users around the world, according to analysis that reveals the digital platform’s ever greater media muscle. A major shift to watching YouTube on television has fuelled a growing rivalry between the world’s pre-eminent digital and streaming platforms. “YouTube is not just cat videos any more,” Netflix’s co-chief executive, Ted Sarandos, said recently. “YouTube is TV.” Average daily usage per YouTube account rose from 87.2 minutes in 2024 to 99.1 in 2025, according to analysis conducted by the Digital i agency across 20 international markets. The figure for Netflix dropped from 100.5 to 93.4 minutes. In the UK, Netflix remains ahead, but it is close. The average daily minutes for a Netflix viewer last year was 88.2 minutes against YouTube’s 84.8. YouTube’s shift from laptops and smartphones to television also accelerated last year. TV’s share of YouTube viewing time rose from 28% to 35% between January 2024 and December 2025, while mobile viewing fell from 35% to 31%. Netflix itself is a huge force on YouTube. Its official channel had the highest reach of any channel last year, reaching 78.2m unique accounts. It includes whole episodes of its Our Planet series, narrated by David Attenborough. Both platforms have been muscling in on each other’s territory in recent months. …