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More users are watching YouTube on TV than mobile
- pr337h4m 2y agoHow much of this is due to TikTok siphoning off mobile users?
- garyclarke27 2y agoI watch mainly on TV, shame YouTube has no competition on TV, Rumble and X not available on my new Samsung TV in Portugal, Spotify TV app is a joke.
- ranger_danger 2y agoFor privacy reasons I would strongly suggest only using an external HDMI device for streaming (and turning off your TV's internet connection), and at that point you can use anything you want and aren't limited to the apps on your TV.
- noisy_boy 2y ago- Youtube pre-installed on smart TVs everywhere - Bigger screens are more enjoyable - Much lesser strain on hands compared to holding a phone means longer periods of watching - More friction in switching apps on a TV compared to a phone and unless you are casting, much smaller selection of apps - Fewer distractions like notifications on a phone - Sofas are comfy; also, autoplay can keep going even if you fall asleep thus skewing the numbers
- jraby3 2y agoMy autoplay keeps going even when I turn off the tv. I can turn it on four hours later and YouTube is still playing. The numbers seem to be way off.
- sharemywin 2y agoI turn it on at night and listen to 8-10 hours of sleep sounds.
- diggan 2y agoWhat are "sleep sounds"? Like sounds of others sleeping? Do you experience silence anything during the day or any other time? I couldn't imagine having sounds while trying to sleep, it's my quiet time when I can fully focus on what's inside my head, and outside sounds tend to be distracting. But still interesting how we all are very different, no right or wrong :)
- p_ing 2y ago12 hours of a Warp Core. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRk-DQUUlz8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRk-DQUUlz8
- nemomarx 2y agoocean waves, the soft noises of a train moving, etc. I used to live very close to a subway station and the sound of it rattling became familiar and comforting eventually, so when I'm out in the countryside now it feels very quiet and I supplement with a white noise machine. It seems popular to use YouTube for a bespoke version of this - there's tons of 8 hour looping videos of rain storms, oceans, etc.
- uuddlrlrbaba 2y agoYes, the sounds of intense sleep apnea. Typically recording 4 or 5 people snoring overlaid into a harmony of sleep sound
- diggan 2y agoUnderstandable! I have my wife to reproduce the same setup so I guess I'm lucky to not having to depend on extra technology for the same thing.
- ActionHank 2y agoI would wager that TV viewers are also more likely to be premium subscribers too. Just a hunch though.
- dylan604 2y agoAnd no ad blockers available for most devices connecting to a TV which could also push the premium numbers.
- sbarre 2y agoI can say that's the case for me. YT Premium is the only paid streaming service in our house, and we pretty much only watch it on the big TV.
- kernal 2y agoIf you’re paying for a music subscription service you’re better off subscribing to YouTube premium and getting YouTube Music for free.
- diggan 2y agoIf YouTube Music wasn't so shit, I'd agree with you. Right now I'm holding off on YouTube Premium only for the fact that they want me to pay for YouTube Music too (which I don't need nor want). If they had a cheaper plan without YouTube Music I'd jump on that immediately.
- pjc50 2y ago.. because it's significantly more difficult to block ads on the TV. I'm not sure if Pi-Hole can do it?
- Larrikin 2y agoPiHole can't block YouTube ads but it's trivial to block all ads on Android TV. The ease of it was what made me move away from Roku.
- nickthegreek 2y ago
- paxys 2y agoAnother key one - more TV-length, high production value content on YouTube. The platform doesn't have 3 minute home recordings anymore. Videos by top creators nowadays rival budgets of major TV shows and movies.
- zimpenfish 2y ago> The platform doesn't have 3 minute home recordings anymore I suspect it does (not least because I know I've uploaded a few) but you're going to have to search hard to find them. (Although I guess that brings up the "if you can't find them, do they even really exist outside of the uploader?" question.)
- LocalH 2y agoNot to mention people falling asleep means that all ads will play unskipped, regardless of length. That means they have data that non-zero amounts of people are watching the whole of the extremely long skippable ads that get placed (more than once I've seen 90+ minute ads appear).
- pjc50 2y agoMuted ads playing to the sleeping. Great business for youtube, not so great for the advertiser. (people who use youtube as a sleep aid - don't you get woken up by ads?)
- rendx 2y agoOr possibly even more effective! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_stimuli https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_stimuli
- lotsoweiners 2y ago> people who use youtube as a sleep aid - don't you get woken up by ads?) Depends on whether I took a half or a whole gummy.
- techjamie 2y ago> people who use youtube as a sleep aid - don't you get woken up by ads? I pay for Premium for that reason. I don't have any other TV/streaming services, so while I don't especially like giving Google money, I use it enough that the expense is well-justified.
- xhkkffbf 2y agoSo you're saying the key is to make bad content that puts people to sleep because you'll get more ad revenue. Make sense in this world.
- saalweachter 2y agoAlso, you can watch YouTube on your TV and then fiddle around on your phone without being left with a floating window that both obscures your other content and is too small to see some details in the video.
- baranul 2y agoThink that's more to the point. Where people watch YouTube on TV, instead of traditional channels or cable, and they are free to screw around on their smartphones. There is no telling what people are actually paying attention to, because it seems many are just running multiple devices for the sake of it. Devices are always on, then used or watched whenever something comes to mind or catches their attention.
- atonse 2y agoI regularly watch my youtube subscriptions on the TV when folding clothes, etc. It's so nice with some of the 4k content. And some channels (like Modern Wisdom) do these "cinematic" episodes that are also a feast for the eyes, not just the rest of your brain.
- taeric 2y agoThis feels more significant than I'd expect it to? We are dominated by reporting about how our phones are growing to define our interactions with media. To have a trend that is bucking that is surprising.
- hbn 2y agoI wouldn't say this is a sign of declining mobile usage, but rather that people have YouTube videos playing constantly on the TV while they're scrolling around on their phone.
- newsclues 2y agoA declining use of cable! Could be people are switch from traditional TV to new content that is online. Or just phones are small screens and people have bad eyes and big TVs. It’s easy to send content from a phone or iPad to a tv these days. Demographics, and low friction technology. And there is good content on YouTube for anyone and everyone
- taeric 2y agoI took it less of a decline in mobile, but more indicative of how strong television still is?
- notyourwork 2y agoPeople still have televisions and now most come with embedded android and YouTube. I don’t find this surprising that people are leaving cable and using internet streaming for their “tv consumption”.
- typs 2y agoAnd people can watch short form content on their TV, so that counts in this too
- xander158 2y agoPeople still watch video on mobile, they just don’t use YouTube for it and probably use TikTok or Instagram for it.
- dark-star 2y agoI wonder what the actual numbers are, especially considering PC viewers. My guess is that it's something like 15% on mobile, 16% on TV, and 69% on desktop/laptop etc. At least if you consider played minutes. I know many people watch short clips etc. on their phone, but the sheer amount of people watching let's plays while working, or streaming lo-fi music while coding is probably immense compared to that
- diggan 2y ago> people watching let's plays while working Is that something people who aren't streamers actually do? I don't think I've seen that in person, ever, but then maybe I'm not the most social creature out there so might just be my bubble. Personally, I only watch YouTube on the TV. When I'm on the computer I'm either working, gaming or reading, the phone only gets used for phone/texting and social media while in the bathroom, and the TV is basically for normal TV/YouTube/TV shows/movies.
- dark-star 2y agoyeah, don't know, it was just an example. People stream YouTube while doing other things (playing, working, coding) all the time. I didn't want to put too much focus on the "Let's Play" part, it was the first thing that came to my mind :) We have a handful of coders in our company and it's rare to enter their offices and not see something playing on the second screen.
- diggan 2y ago> yeah, don't know, it was just an example. People stream YouTube while doing other things (playing, working, coding) all the time. I didn't want to put too much focus on the "Let's Play" part, it was the first thing that came to my mind :) That'd be very distracting to me, programming is (usually) a deep focus thing for me, having moving pictures right next to where I work would lead me to getting nothing done :P Interesting to hear though, probably should visit an office to see how it's changed since I last was in one.
- thih9 2y agoI wonder how similar is the TV user experience and the content that gets watched there - to the desktop/mobile user experience and content. Is anyone here using YouTube in both contexts? Personally I watch on my laptop or iPhone; I usually look at reviews or short tutorials, I often fast forward, stop mid clip, or switch to another window - which is also why I don't watch YouTube on a TV at all.
- math-ias 2y agoI use YouTube in 3 contexts, mobile, laptop and TV. Since the remote slows down my inputs the most I watch longer content (e.g 20 minute or longer videos) on TV. I do notice that YouTube plays longer ads, somewhere around a minute’s worth, on TV. They likely realized that consumers are used to putting up with long commercial breaks in this medium.
- zimpenfish 2y ago> They likely realized that consumers are used to putting up with long commercial breaks in this medium. And you can't really install ad-blockers to skip / block either.
- ra7 2y agoTV experience is vastly inferior to mobile. If you watch YouTube on Apple TV, they definitely make it known you're a second class citizen. The app is clunky, slow and the video player isn't the easiest to scrub (especially if you want to navigate "chapters"). Also it's baffling how you can't use YouTube as a music app with repeat/shuffle controls even though they have a dedicated "Music" section.
- pjc50 2y agoYes: I use TV youtube to watch longer stuff like films. You'd be surprised how many free films there are, both pirated and legitimate e.g. https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/warner-bros-free-movies-youtube-streaming-1236298880/ https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/warner-bros-free-movie... I also use it for TV-equivalent live streams. The Eurovision song contest has recently started streaming most of the national-level pre-contests on its youtube channel, which is considerably easier than trying to juggle fifty different national broadcaster sites which are not in English and may be geolocked.
- jeffbee 2y agoI regularly watch on the TV. The only drawback is the TV isn't capable of varying playback speed and some of my subscriptions are better at 1.5x. But if I just have it on while doing the dishes or folding the clothes then it's good enough.
- conwayblue 2y agoThe SmartTube app can vary playback speed. Might be an option if you have an Android TV or Chromecast.
- spicyusername 2y agoI mean it's not too surprising, YouTube tends to have long form content. It is much more comfortable to watch long-form content from your couch and from your kitchen table holding your phone.
- typs 2y agoMm you’d be surprised at how many college students are sitting in front of a big TV vegging on youtube shorts
- gohai 2y agoRegularly watching YouTube on Apple TV, but.. does it play ads more frequently compared to on desktop OS? (makes sense, since context switching to another form of entertainment in another tab doesn't exist there - still, I wish it would be en par)
- dylan604 2y agoIf you’re not using a blocker on desktopOS, then probably about the same. Unless YT knows your on the couch and much less likely to switch away so they make loner ad blocks for TV than desktops??? I could see them playing with this kind of logic, but I have no idea if they do anything like that
- financetechbro 2y agoI pay for YouTube premium now so I haven’t experienced this in some time but I did notice that YouTube would load its longest ads (I.e. Ads that are 1hr+ in length) late at night, around the time I would tend to fall asleep on the couch watching YouTube. I’m sure a PM out there is proud of coming up with this
- chrisnight 2y agoI’m not sure if the amount of ads is different, but the quality of ads is definitely different. The ads on TV are “skippable” in the sense that you watch 2 minutes of ads, and then in the last 10 seconds, you can skip to the end. Any time I use my TV for YouTube now, I just connect my laptop to the TV so I don’t have to deal with those insane ads. It’s extremely clear that YouTube is trying to maximize ad watch time, while keeping the acknowledgment by the user that they watched the ad, by acknowledging they’re paying attention enough to press “Skip”
- Ingon 2y agoAnother perspective, based on the list of most watched youtube videos [1] - a lot of parents just let it run on the TV for their kids/babies. I used to do it for a while, as well as other parents I knew. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-viewed_YouTube_videos#Top_videos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-viewed_YouTube_vi...
- sb8244 2y agoI watch Youtube almost exclusively on TV. It's great as a cable replacement. The key for me was when my new TV actually had a decent built in TV OS and hardware. So scrolling and using the app isn't painful like it has been on past TVs or external plugin devices.
- coliveira 2y agoI watch youtube 90% of the time I used to watch cable TV or Netflix. It is much better: most interesting TV shows are already on the platform and I can choose what to watch based on my interests, not on what the TV channel is scheduling.
- teeray 2y agoYoutube scratches the same itch that Discovery / History / Science Channel used to, but way better.
- dageshi 2y agoThey're uploading all the Mythbusters episodes to youtube for free as well. It wouldn't surprise me if in another 5 years much historical tv will be on youtube to watch for free.
- newsclues 2y agoIt’s boomers. And maybe children but I just have data on old people using YouTube on a big screen
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 2y agoI use newpipe on my TV more often than my phone.
- joaohaas 2y agoI honestly refuse to believe this unless I see the source (which is not listed). Maybe in the US sure, but take any country in Asia or Latin America and I can guarantee you mobile usage skyrockets. Can't say anything certain about EU, but I'd assume from my few experiences there it should be a 50/50 split.
- joaohaas 2y agoOk so for anyone curious, this is the source they're using: https://www.nielsen.com/ https://www.nielsen.com/ I couldn't find any articles about comparisons between mobile and TV usage. There are some saying 'YouTube TV usage is at a high time high', but it associates it with the presidential election and some sports events... The former I can see getting some views outside of the US, but sports events no one gives a shit outside of the US, so I think it's pretty clear their articles are US only.
- pjc50 2y agoNielsen do consumer survey (and have done for decades): they take a selection of volunteer households, and install a box which monitors what they watch on TV. This statistical sample is used for estimating TV viewing figures. I guess they've discovered that much of the time the TV isn't showing TV any more.
- tofof 2y agoAnd yet last night youtube broke itself on my Nvidia SHIELD by turning all video thumbnails into a larger size than the entire screen, such that no text or title is video nor even the entire thumbnail itself. So instead of scrolling a feed of possible shows, I get the center 60% of one image at a time. Moving to greyjay.
- NoGravitas 2y agoFor anyone considering whether watching YouTube on TV might be better or worse than on the phone, I'd like to point out SmartTube: https://github.com/yuliskov/smarttube https://github.com/yuliskov/smarttube Ad blocking, integrated sponsorblock, and other desirable features.
- smusamashah 2y agoI have a smart tv at home. And all its used for is YouTube (no-ad client) + a client for occasional movies. That's all it does. No live streaming. Everything I want to watch is on YouTube. The TV shows that I am interested in watching are uploaded to YouTube by TV channels themselves.
- rchaud 2y agoThis feels like an AI-written article. The name on the byline, Sarah Fielding, has posted 4 articles today already[0]. Her Twitter[1] does not have any posts after Jan 6, and none of her tweets link to Engadget articles. Her bio does list Engadget though (but her personal website does not![2] This is the only 'evidence' provided, and it definitely doesn't match the claim in the headline. > Nielsen, a market research company that's been reporting on TV viewing habits for decades, says that YouTube has been the number one service in streaming watch time for the last two years. [0]https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/sarah-fielding-01/ https://www.engadget.com/about/editors/sarah-fielding-01/ [1]https://x.com/sarahfielding_?lang=en https://x.com/sarahfielding_?lang=en [2]https://www.sarahpfielding.com/ https://www.sarahpfielding.com/
- steventruong 2y agoI watch almost everything on my computer or smartphone but we have young kids at home and the TV is constantly streaming Youtube content throughout the day. By that measure, it clocks more watch time than anything I would stream on my devices.