YouTube just crossed a massive financial milestone. Fresh numbers from Alphabet show the video giant pulled in over $60 billion in revenue during the last fiscal year, edging past Netflix on a yearly basis. It’s a clear sign that YouTube’s ad power plus its growing subscription business is a winning formula.
YouTube topples Netflix with reported $60 billion revenue
Alphabet’s latest financial report, for the first time, lays out YouTube’s entire revenue stream in one place. That total blends advertising dollars with income from paid offerings, showing just how big the platform has become beyond its free-video roots. Crossing the $60 billion line officially puts YouTube ahead of Netflix in annual revenue, based on publicly available figures.
Ads are still a huge money-maker for the video streaming platform, but its subscriptions are no longer just a side hustle. Alphabet’s report makes it clear that paid services now bring in a much bigger chunk of revenue than they used to. Earnings from YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, YouTube TV, and even NFL Sunday Ticket are bundled under Alphabet’s “subscriptions, platforms, and devices” segment, and that category gave the company a major financial lift this year.
Alphabet also confirmed a major milestone that the video streaming platform has now topped 100 million paying subscribers across its premium products. That paid audience runs alongside YouTube’s massive free, ad-supported user base, giving the platform two income streams at once. Unlike Netflix, which mostly lives off monthly subscriptions, YouTube cashes in from both advertisers and subscribers at the same time.
The report also gives a clearer picture of how audiences are tuning in. Alphabet says the video streaming platform is still the most-watched streaming app on TV screens across the U.S. From full-length videos and Shorts to live streams, podcasts, and live sports, the video streaming platform packs every kind of content under one roof, making it a go-to on the big screen.
On top of ads and paid plans, YouTube gets a boost from being part of Google’s wider ecosystem. Alphabet highlighted the YouTube Partner Program. It keeps creators in the mix, along with YouTube’s role in hosting premium and licensed content.
