YouTube has significantly outpaced Netflix and other competitors in the streaming sector, largely due to its absolute dominance during daytime hours.
In the home of Nancy Ann Ling in central Texas, the TV is typically turned on around 5 a.m., and Mrs. Ling opens the same app every morning—YouTube. For the next several hours, the platform remains active.
While preparing breakfast, Mrs. Ling and her husband watch monologues from late-night talk shows like Stephen Colbert or Seth Meyers. After her husband leaves for work, she plays soothing background sounds for meditation. In the afternoon, she watches cycling videos while exercising, and during dinner prep, she switches to local news channels on YouTube.
However, once night falls, YouTube is turned off. The 57-year-old Mrs. Ling switches to platforms like Apple TV or BritBox for scripted entertainment.
Mrs. Ling’s viewing habits mirror those of millions of Americans.
For years, YouTube has led the streaming wars. In the U.S., it commands more TV watch time than Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and all other similar apps. According to Nielsen, YouTube accounted for nearly 13% of total viewing time in November, while second-place Netflix trailed at just 8%.
Yet, YouTube’s lead stems primarily from its daytime stronghold—a challenge for media and streaming executives trying to close the gap.
Nielsen data from October shows that at 11 a.m., YouTube averaged 6.3 million viewers, more than double Netflix’s 2.8 million. Amazon Prime Video had about 1 million, while HBO Max, Paramount+, and Peacock each had fewer than 600,000.
The Google-owned platform’s lead widens during the day, narrowing only during prime time. For instance, at 9 p.m., Netflix’s viewership surges to over 11 million, slightly below YouTube’s 12 million. Other major platforms like Amazon, Disney+, and HBO Max also catch up in the evening, but YouTube regains dominance overnight and into the next day.
“YouTube’s convenience has reshaped our daytime viewing,” Mrs. Ling said. “Its strength lies in immediacy—everything we want is in one place, eliminating channel surfing.”
This analysis excludes YouTube TV, the platform’s paid cable-like service. YouTube’s growing dominance in TV streaming presents a dilemma for industry executives investing billions in scripted and unscripted content to attract subscribers. The platform has even secured a five-year deal to exclusively broadcast the Oscars starting in 2029, ending ABC’s decades-long hold on the event.
Meanwhile, Netflix and Paramount are vying for Warner Bros.’ entertainment assets, each prepared to spend at least $80 billion to bolster their content libraries against competitors like YouTube.
Netflix is actively seeking content to attract morning and afternoon viewers. Next year, it plans to launch at least 34 video podcasts, including popular shows like *The Breakfast Club* and *My Favorite Murder*. Amazon also added *New Heights*, hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce, to Prime Video in September.
This strategy is deliberate. Edison Research shows 75% of podcast listening occurs between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. YouTube reported 700 million hours of podcast watch time via TV devices in October—a 75% year-over-year increase—and leads Spotify and Apple Podcasts in global listenership.
“YouTube’s strength is its ability to deliver engaging content anytime,” said Sean Downey, Google’s senior sales executive. “We’re not positioning it as a ‘daytime platform’—it’s about having the right content for every moment.”
As a free, ad-supported service, YouTube’s vast library caters to niche interests. For example, 69-year-old Matthew Lawrence in Portland, Oregon, uses YouTube daily to improve his pool skills, watching high-quality match videos for an hour or two before practicing at a pool hall.
“My mother would’ve scolded me for watching TV in the daytime,” he joked. “But these videos are educational.”
Not all YouTube viewing is focused, however. Daytime TV traditionally featured talk shows, soap operas, and cooking programs, fostering “passive viewing” while multitasking. YouTube now fills that role, though viewer engagement is lower than on paid platforms, per TVision research.
Some creators tailor content for daytime release. The comedy show *Good Mythical Morning*, hosted by Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, uploads weekdays at 6 a.m. A viewer survey found most watch while getting ready for work, on lunch breaks, or as background noise. (Note: Many users watch YouTube on non-TV devices, which Nielsen doesn’t track.)
Downey noted that creators tap into a decades-old demand for morning entertainment. “Users choose YouTube because it’s the most engaging option,” he said. “This shift is driven by both creators and consumers.”
Other top creators, like MrBeast and Mark Rober, release videos on Saturday mornings. Michelle Khare, known for challenge videos like “Samurai Training,” also opts for Saturday uploads, citing YouTube’s replacement of traditional daytime TV blocks.
“Families watch YouTube together on weekends,” Khare said. “The ‘Saturday morning cartoons’ of the past are now ‘Saturday morning YouTube videos.’”
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