YouTube Viewing on TV Now Surpasses Mobile, Desktop in U.S.

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor As YouTube marks its 20th anniversary this year, CEO Neal Mohan is positioning the video platform as a core player in the media and entertainment ecosystem — and the culture at large.

Mohan, a longtime Google and YouTube exec, is now in his third year as CEO after assuming the role in February 2023. In his annual letter to the YouTube community, he asserted that creators are “becoming the startups of Hollywood” as they increasingly establish professional-grade media operations that are a far cry from the platform’s early DIY days.

And in the U.S., the TV is now the No. 1 device for YouTube viewing — topping desktop and mobile — underscoring the platform’s growing presence in entertainment, according to Mohan. “Today’s creators have moved from filming grainy videos of themselves on desktop computers to building studios and producing popular talk shows and feature-length films,” Mohan wrote.

The CEO cited sports creators and trick-shot specialists Dude Perfect, who recently opened a new $5 million headquarters in Texas; buffalo-wing-challenge talk show “Hot Ones”; and Inoxtag, a French influencer who produced a 2.5-hour documentary about his preparation to climb Mount Everest.