YouTube isn't just for young people. According to the latest Nielsen report, the streaming platform was the most popular way to watch TV in February, ahead of traditional channels. This success was largely driven by viewers over 50.
YouTube, often associated with the younger generation, is a hit with older viewers – a great victory for the Google-owned platform. According to Nielsen's latest report on TV viewing, YouTube achieved a historic performance in February 2025, capturing 11.6% of time spent watching TV in the United States. For the second time since its entry into the Nielsen Gauge in November 2023, this breakthrough puts YouTube ahead of the major traditional US networks. The Google-owned platform thus gained 2% of time spent watching TV compared to January. For the American firm, "this marks YouTube’s best share of TV to date.”
The streaming platform is gradually winning over new viewers. Recently, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan revealed that television was the main device used to watch content on the streaming platform in the US. This is backed up by Nielsen's report: "time spent watching YouTube on television is up 53% versus two years ago in February 2023."
Against all expectations, this success is driven by the increase in viewers aged 50 and over. The 50-64 age group accounted for 20.4% of YouTube's audience in February 2025, marking an increase of over 62% in the last two years. Even more astonishing, the over-65s category posted a jump of over 96% since February 2023 – a tidal wave that now places viewers aged 65 and over at almost the same level as those aged 2 to 11. While 15.4% of the audience is made up of those aged 65 and over, those aged 2-11 account for 16.9%.
While these ratings only concern the US market, the trend could well be seen in the rest of the world, as YouTube ramps up the number of features designed to make its platform easier to use on smart TVs. – AFP Relaxnews
