The Future of YouTube TV
More evidence of YouTube’s dominance? Nathanson projects that YouTube TV, the platform’s live TV subscription service, will become the largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. by 2026.
As YouTube continues to gain subscribers, traditional providers like Comcast and Charter are experiencing declines.
Additionally, Nathanson estimates that if YouTube were a standalone company, its valuation would range between $475 billion and $550 billion, placing it between Meta’s and Netflix’s market values.
YouTube: A Digital Utility
Unlike traditional media companies, YouTube lacks a single flagship program, movie, or series that defines its dominance—there is no “Stranger Things,” “Barbie,” or Marvel Cinematic Universe equivalent.
Instead, YouTube’s power lies in its endless variety of user-driven content, allowing people to watch exactly what they want, whenever they want.
Rather than being just another streaming platform, YouTube functions more like a digital utility—always available and deeply embedded in everyday life.
