YouTube overtakes Netflix in average daily viewing around the world

Key points

• 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.