According to new research from analysts Digital i, YouTube is pulling ahead of Netflix in terms of daily audience attention.
The company measures YouTube and Netflix across multiple territories, including the UK, US, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.
As part of its report, The YouTube Era: 2025 in Review, Digital i found that average daily usage per YouTube account rose from 87.2 to 99.1 minutes between 2024 to 2025, while Netflix dropped from 100.5 to 93.4 minutes.
However, Netflix remains a major force on YouTube with the streamer’s official channel having the highest reach (78.2 million unique accounts) of any channel in 2025.
According to the report, there are clear regional trends, with France and Spain emerging as growth markets for video sharing platform.
The report also found that YouTube’s shift to the living room continued apace, with TV’s share of viewing time rising from 28 per cent to 35 per cent between January 2024 and December 2025, while mobile fell from 35 per cent to 31 per cent.
“YouTube’s evolution from a social video service into a dominant global attention platform is one of the defining media shifts of the decade,” said Matt Ross, Digital i’s chief analytics officer. “Our data shows audiences increasingly treating YouTube not as social media, but as a primary entertainment destination.”
