At YouTube’s 20th birthday bash in New York, CEO Neal Mohan dropped a stat that could reshape how creators (and studios) think about short-form content.
YouTube Shorts, once seen as the company’s answer to TikTok, has now reached revenue parity with core YouTube (long-form) in multiple countries, including the U.S. In some markets, Shorts is actually outperforming the main platform in monetization per watch-hour.
Let that sink in: one-minute videos are now making as much (or more) as traditional YouTube content.
The Short-Form Revolution Is Officially a Business Model
According to Mohan, the monetization boost is thanks to:
- More ad impressions per minute than long-form content
- AI-powered ad targeting
- Explosive viewer growth (Shorts viewership rose 20% year-over-year in Q1 2025)
Around 70% of YouTube channels now post Shorts, which means the format is a standard and no longer an experiment.
If you’re not creating short-form yet, this might be your wake-up call.
Connected TV Overtakes Mobile for YouTube
In a surprising twist, Mohan also revealed that TVs have now surpassed mobile devices as the primary screen for YouTube. That’s right: the app that started as a laptop pastime and grew up on your phone is now living large on 60-inch OLEDs.
And this shift goes beyond passive binging. YouTube ads on CTV (Connected TV) generated over 1 billion conversions in the past year. That’s not a typo.
It’s a trend that matters for anyone trying to monetize or distribute films and content through YouTube. Think: theatrical trailers, behind-the-scenes docs, short-form companion pieces. Your audience is watching… on their couch.
New Ad Packages for Cultural Moments
To capitalize on this shift, YouTube announced new “cultural moment” ad packages, letting brands bid for premium placements around events like the Oscars, the Met Gala, or the PGA Championship. Expect more film and streaming tie-ins to show up in search and Shorts feeds during these high-attention moments.
The big takeaway: YouTube is positioning itself as both a content platform and a media planning platform. It’s where advertisers want to be and where people watch.
YouTube and the Future of AI
Mohan also addressed the platform’s growing integration of AI, both behind the scenes and in creators’ hands. YouTube’s AI tools now help:
- Flag copyright via Content ID
- Enforce community guidelines
- Enhance creator workflows with tools like Dream Screen, which generates videos from text prompts
Rather than fearing AI, YouTube is packaging it as an empowerment layer for creators. For filmmakers and creators, that means faster content ideation, automated visuals, and better ad alignment, all without losing control of your vision.
The Billion-Dollar Platform That’s Still Growing
Let’s talk scale. YouTube is now:
- Worth an estimated $475 to $550 billion on its own
- Pulling in $54.2 billion in revenue (2024), second only to Disney
- On track to become the #1 media company by revenue in 2025
That’s not a YouTube milestone. That’s a media milestone. And with over 125 million subscribers across YouTube Music, Premium, and YouTube TV, the platform now has a dual flywheel of SVOD revenue and ad-driven monetization, both feeding each other.
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Shorts Are a Feature and the Future
For filmmakers, content marketers, and platform-native creators, this is a flashing neon sign: short-form is foundational. And it’s now just as valuable as your core YouTube uploads, maybe more.
If you’re not already thinking about how to integrate Shorts into your release strategy, your marketing funnel, or your behind-the-scenes content pipeline… you’re behind.
Happy 20th, YouTube. You’re all grown up, and still growing.
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