YouTube’s 2025 ad revenue hits $40.4B, beating major Hollywood studios
YouTube’s 2025 ad revenue reached $40.4 billion, surpassing the combined total of Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery, according to estimates from Moffett Nathanson, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
This shift marks a reversal from 2024, when YouTube’s ad revenue of $36.1 billion fell short of the $41.8 billion generated by the four traditional media companies. The combined ad revenue for Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery fell to $37.8 billion in 2025.
Parent company Alphabet reported that YouTube’s total revenue, including subscriptions, grew to $60 billion for the year. That figure exceeds Netflix’s reported revenue of $45.2 billion. Disney’s media business revenue, including subscriptions, was $60.9 billion.
YouTube’s ad revenue in the fourth quarter of 2025 was $11.4 billion. The platform’s ad revenue still trails Meta, which reported $196.2 billion in ad revenue for 2025.
YouTube announced it is expanding its AI deepfake detection technology to a pilot group of government officials, politicians, and journalists. The technology identifies AI-generated deepfakes and allows users to request removal if it violates policy.