5 charts on YouTube’s ad standing amid TikTok, Meta, and CTV competition

YouTube is an advertising powerhouse. It’s one of the original digital video players, courting advertisers at a time when connected TV (CTV) advertising is climbing. The platform’s Google ties offer it a more trustworthy reputation in the US than TikTok. And use is already extremely high. But YouTube’s high standing also makes growth difficult. Here are five charts summarizing YouTube’s position and potential.

1. YouTube ranks high in worldwide ad revenues

With $15.25 billion in projected ad revenues, YouTube is one of the biggest ad platforms in the world. If it were detached from Google, YouTube would still be the sixth-biggest global ad player, ahead of Microsoft and Tencent, according to our forecast.

2. TikTok is on YouTube’s tail

Meta will account for 30.1% of US video ad spend this year, or $25.34 billion, according to our forecast. That puts Meta ahead of the competition by a lot. YouTube’s 8.3% share of US video ad spend ($6.99 billion) is still in front of TikTok’s 6.5% ($5.48 billion), but TikTok is gaining share.

3. Only Hulu leads YouTube in US CTV ad revenues

With $3.63 billion, Hulu is just under a billion ahead of YouTube’s $2.89 billion in CTV ad revenues, per our figures. Hulu’s US CTV ad revenues are growing faster than YouTube’s, but both are projected to grow by double digits both this year and next.

4. TV viewers spend time with YouTube

Streaming will account for more time spent with TV than any other platform in the US, according to Nielsen. Within streaming, viewers spend 7.8% of their time on YouTube.

YouTube viewers will spend an average of 48 minutes per day on the platform this year. In contrast, TikTok viewers will spend 56 minutes per day on the vertical video app, but there are still more YouTube viewers (236.1 million) than TikTok users (102.3 million).

5. The app is a US favorite

YouTube was the ninth-most downloaded mobile app in the US during Q1 of this year, according to data.ai. Temu, CapCut, TikTok, and Shein, as well as Meta-owned Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, were all ahead of YouTube. YouTube has been around a lot longer in the US than the first four Chinese-linked newcomers, meaning most smartphone users probably already have the app downloaded.

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