In 2025, YouTube generated more than $60 billion in total revenue, a milestone that was publicly disclosed for the first time by its parent company Alphabet during its Q4 earnings report. Notably, this figure propelled YouTube ahead of Netflix’s $45.18 billion profit-driven revenue for the same year, making YouTube a major player in the media and entertainment industry. YouTube's growth is driven by its large and diversified monetization system, which includes advertising and subscription services like YouTube Premium and YouTube TV, and Shorts engagement. There are over 325 million paid subscriptions across YouTube Premium, YouTube TV, and other Google services.
Speaking of exact sources of $60 Billion generation, it's mainly from two ways: Advertising Revenue and Subscription Revenue. This combined model is known as a hybrid monetization strategy, which means revenue isn't just from ads or subscriptions alone, but from both working together to grow earnings rapidly. The $60 billion figure is before creators get their share.
It represents YouTube's gross revenue which is what YouTube collected from the advertisers and subscribers. After that, YouTube shares a portion of its revenue with creators through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and other monetization tools like channel memberships, Super Chats, Super Thanks, and shopping features as well.
Reports and company statements show that YouTube has paid over $100 billion to creators, artists, and media companies over the past four years (2021–2025 approximately) through revenue sharing and monetization systems. This means each year on average YouTube distributes about $25 billion+ to its creators. However, the amount varies yearly and depends on ad rates, views, and subscriber growth.
During the revenue distribution, YouTube usually keeps ~45% of ad revenue and gives ~55% to it's creators. In 2025, YouTube outperformed Netflix in total revenue as it earned ~$45.18 billion and whose primary revenue model is Subscription-based. Netflix's monetization focus on only paid subscribers. Netflix’s revenue heavily depends on paid monthly subscriptions, with limited ad support.
As YouTube's hybrid monetization system helped YouTube to expand total earnings. It allowed YouTube to grow faster and capture more advertising dollar share. In contrast, Netflix expanded paid membership strategies but faced a tougher revenue ceiling because it still relies mostly on subscriptions.
Reports estimate YouTube contributed significantly to job creation and media income worldwide, especially with millions of channels active across countries. YouTube has paid over ₹21,000 crore (~$2.5 billion+) to Indian creators alone over three years and is also investing even more to grow the ecosystem in the country.
YouTube's reported revenue of more than $60 billion in 2025, showcased the power of its combined advertising and subscription model by placing it ahead of Netflix's results. What are your thoughts on YouTube's revenue of more than $60 billion in just one year? Do you think Netflix would beat YouTube next time? Let us know all your answers in the comments, where you can also provide the latest news so I can make a breakdown of it.