YouTube Is Now the World's Largest Media Company
The platform that started with a 19-second zoo video just topped Disney in revenue, and it is not slowing down.
Mar 16, 2026
A website that launched in 2005 with a 19-second clip of a man standing in front of elephant enclosures at a zoo is now officially the world's largest media company. That is not a metaphor. That is the actual origin story of YouTube, and this week, it became the punchline to a very expensive joke at Disney's expense.
Financial research firm MoffettNathanson confirmed this month that YouTube generated $62.3 billion in total revenue for the full year 2025, officially making it the world's largest media company by revenue. The platform edged past The Walt Disney Company's media business, which generated $60.9 billion across the same period.
YouTube Revenue 2025: Bigger Than Disney, Netflix, and Everyone Else
YouTube generated more advertising revenue last year than its four biggest rivals combined. The Google-owned video streaming service generated $40.4 billion in ad revenue for 2025, exceeding the $37.8 billion total from its four closest competitors: Disney, Comcast's NBCUniversal, Paramount Skydance, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
YouTube's business is estimated to be worth around $500 billion to $560 billion, with Netflix second in line at $409 billion.
MoffettNathanson estimates that YouTube has 334 million global paid subscribers, 180 million from Google One and 143 million from YouTube Premium. That is on top of its ad-supported user base, which runs into the billions.
How the YouTube Creator Economy Beat Hollywood
The reason YouTube beat Disney is not just technology. It is economics. Disney pays billions upfront to produce content, betting on what audiences will want. YouTube does the opposite.
YouTube has now paid out more than $100 billion to creators, music companies, and media partners. But that money flows out after content generates revenue, not before. Millions of creators produce, edit, and upload content at their own cost. YouTube shares the reward after the fact.
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan described the model simply. There are two things the platform does for creators: help them build an audience anywhere in the world, and help them build businesses. That is what the $100 billion represents.
YouTube Growth Forecast: AI, Subscriptions, and No Signs of Slowing
Analyst Michael Nathanson noted that YouTube is not facing the same challenges from artificial intelligence and declining revenues that other media companies are dealing with, enabling it to keep growing for the foreseeable future.
YouTube is expected to continue its growth through subscription offerings including YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, NFL Sunday Ticket, and YouTube TV, as well as creator-led content and heavy investment in AI tools.
MoffettNathanson forecasts YouTube's total revenue growth to settle in the low double-digit range from 2026 through 2028.
