YouTube Advertising Revenue Reaches $40.4 Billion in 2025, Exceeding Combined Total of Hollywood's Big Four Studios

Tech Home, March 11 — YouTube achieved a series of impressive figures in 2025.

According to the latest estimates from research firm Moffett Nathanson, the platform’s advertising revenue last year reached $40.4 billion (Note: approximately 2.778 trillion RMB at current exchange rates), surpassing the combined advertising revenues of Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), which totaled $37.8 billion (approximately 2.599 trillion RMB).

This shift clearly indicates that content consumption habits have changed dramatically over the years, prompting advertisers to adjust their marketing strategies accordingly.

In 2025, YouTube’s advertising revenue not only exceeded the total of Hollywood’s four major studios but also saw a significant reversal from the previous year. In 2024, YouTube’s ad revenue was $36.1 billion, below the combined $41.8 billion of those four companies. The situation has now reversed.

For decades, these studios have been the dominant players in the entertainment industry, attracting audiences with big-budget movies and popular TV shows. However, as traditional studios face shrinking linear TV audiences and rising production costs, YouTube has been accelerating its lead. Even as these companies invest heavily in their own streaming platforms, they find it increasingly difficult to keep up with YouTube’s growth.

Last month, YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, announced that YouTube’s total revenue in 2025 soared to $60 billion. Currently, a large portion of YouTube’s income comes from subscription services, including YouTube TV, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, and NFL Sunday Ticket. (For comparison, this figure far exceeds Netflix’s annual revenue of $45.2 billion.)

Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros. Discovery also rely heavily on subscription revenue; for example, including subscription services, Disney’s media business generated a total revenue of $60.9 billion last year.

However, YouTube’s ad revenue still lags behind tech giants like Meta, which is projected to earn $196.2 billion from advertising in 2025. Despite this, advertisers continue to flock to YouTube because it is where viewers—especially younger audiences—spend their time. YouTube’s ad revenue in the fourth quarter reached $11.4 billion.

YouTube is also increasing its investment in artificial intelligence. This week, the company announced that it is expanding its facial similarity detection technology to a pilot group, including government officials, politicians, and journalists. This technology can identify AI-generated deepfake videos, and users who believe their content violates YouTube policies can request its removal.