Prime number: Biggest media company in the world

The site where you once watched the Grape Lady fall and groan in pain for 14 uninterrupted seconds is now the largest media company by revenue in the world. According to an analysis by MoffettNathanson: YouTube’s $62 billion in total revenue last year surpassed Disney’s $60.9 billion (not including its parks business) as the most of any media giant. The Alphabet-owned video platform’s $40.4 billion in ad revenue is more than Disney’s, Paramount’s, NBCUniversal’s, and Warner Bros. Discovery’s...combined. YouTube’s growth is staggering, but not shocking. As consumers cut the cord, advertisers have pivoted to meeting them where they are: not watching traditional TV, but rather bingeing ASMR ear-cleaning videos. Still, YouTube has a long way to catch up to true social media giants like Meta, which reported $196.2 billion in ad revenue last year.—AE