When YouTube first launched, people absorbed it through their computer screens. Years later, people started using their phones, and that’s the most popular means of consuming YouTube. Be that as it may, we can’t forget about good old television. A blog post just shined a light on how much people actually watch YouTube on TVs.
We’re getting close to the end of the year, and platforms are starting to release their recaps. YouTube is no different. The video platform is tallying up how people used the platform throughout the year. Along with that, it also revealed a little bit of news.
For example, the company introduced a new parent code feature. If you’re signed out of the YouTube app on your TV, you’ll need to enter a pass code to access it. Also, if you want to watch content on an account meant for older users, you’ll need to enter the code. This doesn’t affect multiple devices, and the passcode can’t be used in place of the account password.
It turns out that people LOVE viewing YouTube on their TVs
When the urge to watch some YouTube strikes, users tend to hop on their phones. However, there are people who prefer to sit back and relax in their living rooms. While using your phone is more convenient than navigating your TV’s interface, TV watchers contributed a surprisingly large chunk of YouTube’s total watch time this year.
The company released a blog post letting us know just how much they contributed. Overall, people watched over 1 billion hours of YouTube on their TVs. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
What people are watching on their TVs
According to the report, people prefer to watch sports content and kids content on their TVs. This makes sense, as watching sports has always been a communal pastime, so people tend to watch it on the biggest screens in their house. YouTube stated that the amount of time people spent watching sports rose 30% year over year in 2024.
As for kids shows, families usually have multiple kids, and it’s easier for them to sit their kids down in front of the TV rather than letting them use a phone or tablet. There’s a ton of kid-friendly content on YouTube, anyway.
We can’t forget about podcasts. Since 2022, YouTube has been hunkering down on podcast content. We’ve seen its plans come to fruition this year, and they seem to have paid off. YouTube announced that people watched over 400 million hours of podcasts on their TVs.
Let’s talk money
While most people consume through their phone, there are people who make most of their revenue from viewers watching their content on TVs. In fact, that number of people rose more than 30% year over year. That’s pretty significant. There are just those creators whose content is better when viewed in the living room.
One thing that most likely helped this out were YouTube’s revisions to the YouTube for TV app interface. The company revealed that increased the number of subscribers through the TV app by 40% year over year.