YouTube now one of the most-used apps for podcasts
YouTube has become one of the most-used apps to consume podcasts, states an Inside Radio post, “as the streaming service has seen its usage in the living room expand. However, a new report from WARC Media offers some warning signs, as it says the platform’s ad business growth is slowing, and YouTube finds itself under pressure from rivals such as Netflix and TikTok.
WARC analysts say when it comes to podcasting, YouTube remains on a growth trajectory. “YouTube has overtaken Spotify for podcast viewing,” WARC says. Its analysis shows viewers watch more than 700 million hours of podcasts on YouTube via TV screens in a month. That is up 70% year over year.
In a new report, WARC says YouTube had annual revenue of $60.6 billion last year — of which $40.4 billion came from advertising, which was up 11.7% from 2024. But that double-digit growth rate doesn’t tell the entire story. The analysis points out that YouTube’s year-over-year ad revenue growth decelerated from 14.7% in 2024 to 11.7% in 2025. And WARC forecasts YouTube’s ad growth rate will drop to 7% this year and 7.9% by 2027, when ad revenue is expected to reach $46.6 billion.
The report says YouTube is facing growing competition for performance ad dollars as marketers favor platforms like TikTok for social commerce sites. At current growth rates, WARC predicts TikTok’s ad revenue could overtake YouTube’s by 2028.
