YouTube: Our Primetime Audience Is Bigger Than the Top 10 TV Shows Combined

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki: "Today, I'm happy to announce that on mobile alone YouTube now reaches more 18-49-year-olds than any network -- broadcast or cable. In fact, we reach more 18-49-year-olds during primetime than the top 10 TV shows combined. At a time when TV networks are losing audiences, YouTube is growing in every region and across every screen." Ben Popper, writing for The Verge: Those numbers are a bit vague. We don't know exactly how many people are watching, or whether any individual channel comes close to matching the reach of network TV programming. Most importantly, that doesn't break out what percentage of the audience is watching Google Preferred content, the pre-approved brand-safe stuff that nets big ad dollars, versus the long tail of cat videos and home movies that have steadily dwindling value. Still, it seemed clear that YouTube's clout was not lost on the agencies handling big budgets. Wojcicki used her time on stage to announce that Interpublic Group, one of the world's largest ad holding companies, planned to shift $250 million from traditional TV networks to YouTube over the next year.

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[NotInHere]

You know that TVs have appy apping apps these days itself as well?

Oh good grief...

[Anonymous Coward]

Whereas the networks and cable are limited to time locked programming YouTube can serve up MILLIONS of shows immediately. It's not a fair comparison.

Nor is it a fair comparison because 99.2% of them are cute animal videos being watched!

I watched YouTube prime time last night - not because I felt like "Hey, let's see what's on YouTube" but because somebody had uploaded scenes from a 20 year old show that few people know about and fewer ever watched regularly. Did I watch that because of YouTube's super sma

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[Dadoo]

YouTube can serve up MILLIONS of shows immediately. It's not a fair comparison.

Completely irrelevant, if you're an advertiser. The only thing that matters is where the eyeballs are.

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[rsborg]

Whereas the networks and cable are limited to time locked programming YouTube can serve up MILLIONS of shows immediately. It's not a fair comparison.

It's only "not fair" because those networks choose to limit themselves this way to promote a select few shows.

I didn't realize cat videos were that popular

[mykepredko]

The human race is doomed, Doomed, DOOMED!

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[Livius]

At the beginning of cinematic technology, the leading edge was a few minutes of poor-quality video on a screen smaller than the size of your hand. Cat videos were leading the way back then, too.

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[Coren22]

Since you apparently know how to make better videos, I am sure your videos are top ranked on Youtube while generating millions of dollars for you to live off of.

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[avandesande]

well Seattle is 'special' this way. The rest of us don't have this issue.

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[91degrees]

Have you tired a wired connection? Fixed my youTube speed issues. The amount of interference on Wi-fi in populated areas is a serious problem.

The Young Turks rock

[gQuigs]

They have a YouTube Channel (with almost 3 million subscribers)
https://www.youtube.com/user/T... [youtube.com]

And a whole network of channels
https://www.tytnetwork.com/ [tytnetwork.com]

I really enjoyed the Open Debate they participated in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

shot across the bow

[inode_buddha]

Earlier today, the FCC and Tom Wheeler finally gave the go-ahead for the merger between Time-Warner cable and Charter Communcations.

The timing of the statement from Youtube is interesting; its a "shot across the bow" (a warning) IMHO directed towards the big content + delivery cartels. And Youtube may in fact win in the long run, just IMHO.

All this proves is how many have no taste

[kheldan]

Most of the 'content' on YouTube is garbage, isn't it?
We sure this didn't come from some North Korean knock-off of YouTube? Sure sounds like Best Korea flavor of bragging to me.

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[Livius]

Most of the 'content' on YouTube is garbage, isn't it?

I.e. better than most of what's on television. (With a few exceptions on both sides.)

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[kheldan]

I know I'm probably feeding a troll by asking you this, but if 'everything is garbage' then how about you give a few examples of what YOU think is good?

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[indi0144]

We are entirely sure you have something as simple to do as a podcast to show us made by yourself, right? OH! how about you create a video log teaching people to create av content. I'm sure linux has 100% of the toolset required to create TOTL content so whats limiting any of the people that bash youtube quality in here? Thats the point, if you think you can do better, you do, and people decide, if people don't know better you can blame education, education decided by those who you vote for, so, if anything,

Many TVstations tried to reach quality rock bottom

[ffkom]

... but failed, because anyone with an IQ > 90 could working there just not imagine how incredibly stupid you need to make broadcasts to reach the masses of those who are either naturally

But YouTube succeeded! Now you can choose between countless hours of totally senseless videos, way dumber than any game show or advertisement has ever been before! Now, at last, content is produced by the braindead, for the braindead!

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[ffkom]

(I have no idea why my above posting is missing half a sentence after "naturally". I typed it, Slashdot ate it.)

...either naturally under IQ 90 or are (due to sleep deprivation, alcohol or exhaustion) when they switch on television.

Or you could watch

[rsilvergun]

any one of several excellent channels on game design like Extra Credits [youtube.com] or Game history like Kim Justice [youtube.com].

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[crimson30]

YouTube will recommend shitty videos to you if you watch shitty videos.

I suppose if you're just getting started, it will assume you're an idiot and recommend terrible content from the start; in which case, where were you around 2005-2006?

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[ffkom]

(a) I of course do not allow Youtube to associate me with a previous session - that's what "self destructing cookies" are for. (b) I have never clicked on a video "recommendation" from Youtube. But I have taken a look at videos that were referenced as particularily successful by other media, and that was sad enough...