YouTube continues to redefine the U.S. video ecosystem, drawing viewers away from traditional TV and SVOD platforms while expanding its dominance across screens. According to the newly released “YouTube US H1 2025 Report” by analytics firm Digital i, the platform amassed 45.1 billion viewer hours between January and June 2025, with TV screens becoming the primary device for consumption. TV now accounts for 36% of total viewer hours, or 16.3 billion hours, narrowly ahead of web viewing (35% or 15.6 billion hours) and mobile (29% or 13.2 billion hours).
In terms of reach, NBC’s iconic sketch show "Saturday Night Live" was the most viewed YouTube channel in the U.S. in H1 2025, with 38.6 million unique users. It edged out the YouTube Movies channel (35.4M), ABC News (33.3M), and NBC News (30.7M). "Saturday Night Live" also topped the YouTube search rankings, followed by “Kendrick Lamar,” “Ms. Rachel,” “Bluey,” and “MrBeast.” Notably, the day after Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance on February 9th saw a surge in YouTube searches, with 8–9% of his H1 2025 search volume occurring in that 24-hour window alone.
YouTube’s growing engagement via connected TVs highlights a broader trend: viewers are now watching YouTube much like they do traditional television. This shift, combined with YouTube Shorts’ explosive popularity, is reshaping how content is both consumed and monetized. Out of the top 500 U.S. YouTube channels by reach in H1 2025, a staggering 98.2% included Shorts. Nearly 47.4% of these channels were “reliant on Shorts,” with over 75% of their uploads in short-form video format, while 14.8% posted Shorts exclusively.
Demographic data reinforces the platform's reach among younger audiences. Young males aged 18–34 are the heaviest YouTube users, averaging more than two hours of viewing per day. By contrast, female viewers across all age groups averaged around 1.5 hours per day.
As Digital i notes, understanding platform behavior is now crucial for content strategies: “YouTube has emerged as a major disruptor, drawing viewers away from TV and streaming, while establishing itself as a rich ground for new creators to grow and established brands to expand their reach.”
In an increasingly fragmented digital video landscape, YouTube’s blend of long-form content, live events, and Shorts—delivered across all screen types—is enabling it to thrive as a hybrid platform that competes with and complements traditional media players. The H1 2025 data confirms that YouTube is not just a platform for creators, but a cornerstone of the broader U.S. viewing economy.