YouTube is one of the most prominent hubs for content and media in the world, and up until this point it has mostly been a platform meant to be used on one’s mobile phone. After a period of five to seven years in which its users generally comprised laptop and desktop users, mobile users started to take precedence after smartphones became powerful enough and advanced enough to allow high quality streaming with all things having been considered and taken into account.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that another paradigm shift is occurring wherein mobile users are beginning to shrink somewhat. Around 53.1% of all YouTube users were on mobile in 2020, but that has decreased to just 49.1% in 2022. Desktop and laptop users have gone from comprising 16.4% of the total user base to 14.3% over the past two years. Conversely, users that watch YouTube on TV have gone from representing just 30.5% of total YouTube users to 36.4% in 2022, so it’s quite clear where the traffic is moving.
It is expected that Connected TV users will continue to increase in numbers, with computer and mobile users dwindling. This makes sense when you consider that YouTube is churning out frequently higher quality content, and it often tries to stamp down on its status as a classier platform than TikTok which it is attempting to describe as an attention grabbing and low brow content alternative.
With YouTube also providing its own premium packages that give access to quality content, users are naturally shifting to TV based usage. By 2024, it is estimated that 39.4% of YouTube users will be watching content on a TV. Mobile users are projected to dwindle to 47.9%, and computer users will only comprise 12.9% of the total come 2024.
This marks a major shift in how we consume content, and it might be the final nail in the coffin for cable providers because YouTube is yet another service that they will struggle to compete with both price-wise and content-wise.
H/T: eMarketer
Read next: Twitter is the World’s Most Toxic App According to This Survey
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that another paradigm shift is occurring wherein mobile users are beginning to shrink somewhat. Around 53.1% of all YouTube users were on mobile in 2020, but that has decreased to just 49.1% in 2022. Desktop and laptop users have gone from comprising 16.4% of the total user base to 14.3% over the past two years. Conversely, users that watch YouTube on TV have gone from representing just 30.5% of total YouTube users to 36.4% in 2022, so it’s quite clear where the traffic is moving.
It is expected that Connected TV users will continue to increase in numbers, with computer and mobile users dwindling. This makes sense when you consider that YouTube is churning out frequently higher quality content, and it often tries to stamp down on its status as a classier platform than TikTok which it is attempting to describe as an attention grabbing and low brow content alternative.
With YouTube also providing its own premium packages that give access to quality content, users are naturally shifting to TV based usage. By 2024, it is estimated that 39.4% of YouTube users will be watching content on a TV. Mobile users are projected to dwindle to 47.9%, and computer users will only comprise 12.9% of the total come 2024.
This marks a major shift in how we consume content, and it might be the final nail in the coffin for cable providers because YouTube is yet another service that they will struggle to compete with both price-wise and content-wise.
H/T: eMarketer
Read next: Twitter is the World’s Most Toxic App According to This Survey
