Will YouTube Win the Streaming Wars?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Most might assume Netflix is the undeniable winner of the streaming wars, but a new report has some wondering if YouTube could take the crown.
In Nielsen’s monthly report, titled “The Gauge,” the organization revealed that, overall, more people were streaming YouTube on their TVs and smartphones than Netflix — 10.6% to 7.9%.
However, Variety noted that it’s hard to measure YouTube against traditional streaming platforms.
“YouTube’s economic model is of course quite different from the major SVODs [Subscription Video On Demand], with the vast majority of its content user-generated rather than produced by an industrial content pipeline (though YouTube does shell out billions to its creators via revenue-sharing arrangements),” the outlet wrote.
However, as the public’s attention span continues to wane, many are starting to view YouTube and other video apps, like TikTok or Instagram Reels, as competition for streamers.
Additionally, YouTube has started to make moves that put it on the same level as other streamers, such as securing exclusive content like the NFL Sunday Ticket package.
“In short, with the subscription streaming wars transitioning into the engagement wars, YouTube is now Netflix’s most formidable opponent,” Variety concluded.
Netflix’s numbers are still going strong, though, even after the password-sharing crackdown that had many thinking the streaming service’s days were numbered.
“Since launching its password crackdown in May 2023, Netflix has added 45 [million] paying subscribers,” the Financial Times noted. “Its share price has risen more than 300 per cent from its post-correction low, recently setting new all-time highs.”
Netflix has also branched out into different avenues of revenue, like video games, live sports and in-person pop-up events centered around popular shows like BRIDGERTON and STRANGER THINGS. Movieguide® previously reported on the streamer’s plans to open physical stores:
Netflix recently announced plans to open physical stores where fans can immerse themselves in the worlds of shows like STRANGER THINGS, SQUID GAMES and other Netflix properties.
“We’ve seen how much fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our movies and TV shows, and we’ve been thinking a lot about how we take that to the next level,” Josh Simon, Netflix’s vice president of consumer products, told Bloomberg.
The line of pop-up shops, called “Netflix House,” will offer fans products based on popular shows and movies, themed food and interactive experiences, like a SQUID GAMES obstacle course.
IGN reported Netflix “will open the first two Netflix House locations in the U.S. in 2025, and then expand the stores globally thereafter.”
Netflix has offered pop-up experiences like this before, from the popular BRIDGERTON balls to a traveling STRANGER THINGS exhibit and store that hit cities like New York, L.A., Dallas and Miami.
