Is YouTube really TV? New data challenges the narrative

“Is YouTube really TV?”

Google’s push to position YouTube as TV, as its presence grows on household screens, has prompted the UK’s Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board (BARB) to challenge assumptions about the platform’s scale, viewing frequency and context.

UK-based consultant and media leader Justin Lebbon writes in an article published on the ThinkTV website that the research raises important questions for broadcasters and advertisers not just in the UK but here in New Zealand – especially as viewing habits continue to evolve.

Who’s really watching?

BARB’s data on the 200 most-watched YouTube channels in the UK – with 180 channels hidden behind a paywall – shows that 15 of the top 20 are kids’ content.

Lebbon says he’s worked with major brands eager to understand where their YouTube ads were actually appearing. In many cases, they were surprised to discover that a large number of their ads were being shown on kids’ videos – not the audiences they were targeting.

“We often forget why TV advertising is so powerful and hard to replicate. It’s because you can get huge reach instantly in shared environments,” says Lebbon.

But when parents are mostly using YouTube on TV just to keep toddlers occupied, it raises the question: how can media planners rely on the platform alone to deliver the same kind of reach and impact as traditional TV?

Jonathan Waite, EVP and global head of planning at Havas Media Network, says the findings reinforce a key truth: Unlike traditional TV, where a few big-name shows or channels dominate, YouTube’s viewership is fragmented.

“This kind of transparency is essential if we’re to make informed decisions about where and how to invest,” Waite adds.

Global numbers vs local reality

“I don’t really think YouTube wants to ‘be TV,’ says Waite. “But it certainly wants the budgets it believes its audience scale should command.”

Lebbon agrees, adding: “YouTube loves to quote big global numbers – but they’re meaningless until broken down.”

Take MrBeast as an example. He has over 400M subscribers globally, yet in the UK, his channel reaches just 319,000 weekly viewers on TV screens.

“This is the classic gap between global hype and local, demo-specific reality,” says Lebbon.

A hybrid platform

“Social platforms sell themselves on outcomes and KPIs, and many clients are happy as long as results appear. But ignoring where ads actually run is a mistake,” says Lebbon.

Waite points out that YouTube is still, at its core, a social video platform – even as it chases TV budgets. “Unlike TikTok, YouTube also has longer-form content and a robust creator economy, making it a hybrid – neither fully TV nor fully social video,” he explains.

The BARB data helps demystify YouTube’s role in the video ecosystem. But whether it will actually shift advertiser behavior? “That,” says Lebbon, “is a different question.”

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