YouTube Surpasses Disney As World's Largest Media Company

YouTube generated an estimated $62 billion in revenue in 2025, passing Walt Disney Co.'s $60.9 billion media business and claiming the title of world's largest media company, according to financial research firm MoffettNathanson. The firm now values YouTube at between $500 billion and $560 billion, well ahead of Netflix's roughly $409 billion market cap and far beyond any traditional media competitor.

Ad revenue alone topped $40 billion for the year, but YouTube's subscription business is growing fast—YouTube TV now has around 10 million subscribers and is on pace to overtake pay-TV leaders Charter and Comcast. The platform has also paid out more than $100 billion to creators, music companies, and media partners, cementing its role as both a distribution platform and a standalone content economy.

MoffettNathanson expects the growth to continue, citing YouTube's heavy investment in AI tools that help creators produce more content faster and its unique position at the intersection of media and technology. For financial marketers allocating media budgets, the math is getting harder to ignore—YouTube is no longer just a channel, it's the dominant player in the room.

Full story: Hollywood Reporter