YouTube has overtaken Disney to become the biggest media company in the world. In 2025, YouTube earned $62.3 billion in revenue, slightly higher than Disney’s $60.9 billion.
Most of YouTube’s income came from ads, which reached $40.4 billion. That’s more than what the major Hollywood studios combined made. The rest came from subscriptions like YouTube Premium, YouTube TV, and NFL Sunday Ticket, which together made up about one-third of its total revenue.
Analysts say that if YouTube were separated from Google’s parent company Alphabet, it could be valued at $500 to $560 billion. That’s bigger than the combined value of the five largest Hollywood studios.
Disney is still strong in movies, TV, and theme parks, but its media division now trails YouTube. Netflix, meanwhile, earned only about half of YouTube’s revenue.
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Meanwhile, in the Philippines, YouTube has become the main screen for entertainment, news, and learning, often taking the place of traditional TV. A report from Kantar shows that 88 percent of Filipinos in Visayas and Mindanao watch YouTube daily, more than those who tune in to television.
This makes the platform the default choice for many Filipinos, shaping how audiences consume content across the country.
Featured photo from Pixabay
