YouTube’s Audience on TVs Soars, But TV Advertisers Go Slow

Viewers of YouTube, who have long watched the popular video service on their phones and computers, are now increasingly watching it on television sets, according to new data shared with The Information. But despite the shift, some traditional TV advertisers are still balking at moving their ad dollars to the service.

Nearly 40% of ads that air on YouTube in the U.S. are now watched on television sets, up from just 12% two years ago, according to an ad tech executive who works closely with the Google-owned streaming giant. The change suggests that the viewing habits of YouTube’s audience—especially during the pandemic, when people have been stuck at home close to their TVs—are beginning to more closely resemble those of audiences for other streaming services. Netflix has said that over 70% of its audience watches the service on TVs.