The latest UK viewing data shows YouTube reaching 51 million viewers between October and December 2025, narrowly surpassing the BBC’s 50.8 million on a three‑minute threshold. While the BBC still dominates the 15‑minute engagement metric, the shift highlights how audiences now favor short, repeatable clips over traditional long‑form programming. Broadcasters are forced to maintain a YouTube presence to capture younger viewers, yet the platform monetises solely through advertising, leaving legacy producers to fund premium content without direct revenue. This dynamic creates a vicious circle: creators feed YouTube’s growth while receiving little financial return.

Ad‑supported tiers are reshaping the subscription landscape. Digital Eye reports that 40 percent of Netflix’s active accounts now sit on the ad tier, up from 26 percent a year earlier, and Disney Plus, HBO Max and others show similar climbs. In the United States, ad‑supported streaming time reached 43 percent in 2025, with Netflix accounting for 45 percent of those hours. The move counters flattening growth of ad‑free plans, but advertisers still generate less revenue per viewer than premium subscriptions, prompting services to balance low‑ad loads with sustainable CPMs. The trend suggests ad tiers will continue expanding.

Content budgets reflect this shift. Ampere forecasts global spending of $255 billion in 2026, a modest 2 percent rise driven almost entirely by streaming services, while broadcasters face rising acquisition costs and regulatory mandates for local production. The recent Versant Media Group spin‑off illustrates the pressure on linear platforms: Peacock lost access to NBCUniversal channels such as Syfy and USA Network, reducing its library and aggravating fragmentation for sports fans who now need multiple subscriptions to follow Premier League or NBA games. As streaming consolidates rights and content, traditional broadcasters must adapt or risk losing relevance.