"The most telling point (so far) of Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, HBO and streaming businesses came from the company itself. In pushing back on claims that the deal would be anti-competitive, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters pointed to YouTube as a bona fide rival that it would still trail with Warner Bros stack - a point that would've sounded far-fetched not that long ago."
"That framing reflects a broader shift in how competition in video is actually playing out. The fight is no longer just about who owns the biggest library or who can stack the most subscribers. It's also about who captures attention, who sets the viewing habits and who becomes the default place people go when they open a screen. Which helps explain why Netflix increasingly frames itself not only against other streamers but to YouTube - a platform that dominates watch time, reaches a far broader audience and is quietly reshaping what "television" even means."
"When it comes to watch time, there's no question that YouTube is already ahead of its competition, particularly Netflix. According to Nielsen's October gauge, YouTube takes the top spot among its streaming peers for total TV usage. And by top spot, YouTube took 12.9% of total watch time, up 4% on the previous month. By comparison, Netflix sat in sixth place with 8% of total watch time."
Netflix's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. assets would raise its U.S. share of viewed hours marginally from 8% to roughly 9% yet remain behind YouTube's approximately 13%. Nielsen's October gauge shows YouTube captured 12.9% of total TV watch time, up month-over-month, while Netflix ranked sixth with about 8%. Competition in video increasingly centers on capturing attention, setting viewing habits, and becoming the default destination when people open a screen rather than solely on library size or subscription counts. Netflix is framing its rivalry against YouTube because YouTube dominates watch time, reaches broader audiences, and reshapes what television means.
Read at Digiday
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