It’s no surprise that the power of the House of Mouse brand has made it one of the top global players in entertainment media, really. With the nostalgic power of its cornerstone animations attracting both younger and older viewers, an edgier storytelling arm in Pixar, and its many, many beloved IPs, success in a “Disney space” is often a matter of competing for the No. 2 spot. Even Netflix has failed to challenge them on the revenue front. However, it seems that YouTube may just manage to surpass them. To tell us more, we have entertainment lawyer from Blake & Wang P.A., Brandon Blake.
YouTube May Take the Crown This Year
If current projections hold, we may even see Disney unseated this year. Based on projections from Wall Street analysts, YouTube is on track to pass Disney on the revenue front by the end of 2025. Last year the company brought in $54.2B in revenue.
It also accounts for far more viewers— to the tune of twice that of Disney or, indeed, any other media giant. It’s always hard to properly compare one integrated business with another. After all, Disney has its highly successful parks arm, and YouTube is but one facet of Alphabet. However, it is estimated that, if YouTube was a standalone company, it would be worth somewhere between $475B and $550B.
Advertising “in the Living Room”
Entertainment media companies, looking for new ways to monetize their viewership, have bought into ad-supported models heavily over the last two years. Here, YouTube has an immense early-mover advantage. Some even feel it could be under-monetizing its offerings. As it covers the ground in dominating TV set viewing as well as online, this leaves the company well positioned to make the most of the rise in home entertainment viewing from digital sources.
While YouTube becoming the year’s top revenue earner may not have been on many lists, it makes sense, particularly as we’ve watched them climb up rankings like Nielsen’s Gauge. Now, it remains to be seen what they will do with the lofty throne they may well toss the world’s most famous mouse out of— and whether we could even be looking at a future where “YouTube Original” is a drawcard.
Film and Television 