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State of the Screens

YouTube’s Earnings Hard To Watch

By February 9, 2023No Comments

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Three big questions re: YouTube:
1) How much advertising revenue did YouTube generate last year?
2) Why did advertising revenue growth decelerate?
3) What share of total TV time does YouTube account for?

Big question #1: How much advertising revenue did YouTube generate last year?

YouTube advertising revenue (YoY growth):
1) 2017 – $8.2B
2) 2018 – $11.2B (↑ 37%)
3) 2019 – $15.1B (↑ 36%)
4) 2020 – $19.8B (↑ 31%)
5) 2021 – $28.8B (↑ 46%)
6) 2022 – $29.2B (↑ 1%)

Big question #2: Why did advertising revenue growth decelerate?

Quick answer: There should be rapid growth in advertising revenue due to the explosion in streaming TV use.  This has not happened (yet).

Why this matters: A lack of open data/measurement complicates integrating YouTube into a convergent TV media plan.

Bottom line: Linear TV advertising grew faster (↑ 3%) than YouTube (↑ 1%).

YouTubeVsLinear

Big question #3: What share of total TV time does YouTube account for?

Quick answer: YouTube accounts for 9% of total TV time and 23% of streaming TV time.

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Michael Beach

Michael Beach is the Chief Executive Officer of Cross Screen Media, a media analytics and software company that enables marketers to plan, activate, and measure CTV and linear TV at the local level. Michael is also the founder and editor of State of the Screens, a weekly newsletter focused on video advertising that is a must-read for thought leaders in the advertising industry. He has appeared in such publications as PBS Frontline, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Axios, CNBC and Bloomberg, and on NPR’s Planet Money podcast.