YouTube reports $60 billion revenue in 2025 as paid subscriptions grow

In 2025, Google revealed that YouTube generated over $60 billion in total revenue, combining advertising income and paid subscriptions, surpassing Netflix’s $45 billion earnings. This is the first time Google has publicly disclosed annual revenue for its video platform since acquiring it in 2006. Analysts note that YouTube’s large, engaged audience—used weekly by over 70% of global consumers and daily by more than 50%—allows it to monetize effectively through ads and subscription models. Despite a slight shortfall in fourth-quarter ad revenue, Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted YouTube Premium’s role in boosting total paid subscriptions across Google services to more than 325 million. YouTube has introduced new, lower-priced Premium and TV tiers and features like background video playback for subscribers to drive growth. Shorts, YouTube’s short-video format, averages over 200 billion daily views. YouTube’s expansion positions it as a major media platform; it is the second most-watched service in the UK and increasingly competes with traditional streaming services. Industry experts caution that comparisons with Netflix are not direct due to YouTube’s user-generated content. Meanwhile, concerns over AI-generated summaries impacting creators’ traffic have prompted EU and UK regulatory scrutiny, and Google continues to invest heavily in AI technologies.