If there was any doubt, YouTube has officially shifted into the TV business. CEO Neal Mohan has confirmed that TV screens have surpassed mobile as the primary device for YouTube viewing in the U.S. In his annual letter, Mohan emphasizes that YouTube is “the new television". Having viewership spikes of short and long-form content along with a 40% growth in memberships. YouTube's share of TV viewing was 10.4% in July.
The platform continues to dominate streaming, surpassing Netflix in Nielsen’s rankings while also expanding YouTube TV. It looks like as much as the landscape of what we watch has changed, we still can't escape that American pastime of gathering around the TV in the living room.