YouTube now watched more on TV screens than any other device
Televisions have become the primary device for watching YouTube in the U.S., with viewers tuning into more than 1 billion hours of the platform’s content daily on TVs. The rise of smart TVs, continuous app improvements and a diverse content library drives the shift.
YouTube’s redesigned TV app enhances the viewing experience by allowing users to read comments and video descriptions without blocking the main video.
YouTube TV’s subscriber base has grown to over 8 million, solidifying its role as a cable replacement while streaming surpasses cable in TV viewership.
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Think about the last time you watched YouTube. Was it on your phone or your TV?
If it was the latter, you’re part of a growing trend. TVs are now the primary device for watching YouTube in the United States, according to the company’s annual letter.
Viewers watch more than 1 billion hours of YouTube content daily on TVs.
Smart TVs and app updates drive the shift
Several factors are contributing to this trend. The rise of smart TVs, continuous app improvements, and a diverse content library have all made YouTube a dominant player in home entertainment.
YouTube’s annual letter highlights that people are no longer just watching traditional videos. They are engaging with short-form content, podcasts, live streams and sports.
YouTube enhances TV viewing experience
The platform recently redesigned its TV app to make browsing more user-friendly. Viewers can now read comments and video descriptions without blocking the main video.
Older designs that hid the video while users explored details disrupted the viewing experience. YouTube adjusted its interface to keep the video as the primary focus while allowing users to interact with additional features.
Long-form content is growing
Creators are also shifting their approach. YouTube now allows verified users to upload videos up to 12 hours long, or 256GB in size.
This expansion supports the platform’s move toward longer-form content, giving audiences more in-depth videos to watch on their TVs.
YouTube TV gains more subscribers
YouTube’s subscription-based live TV service is also seeing growth. More than 8 million people now subscribe to YouTube TV.
Many households treat such streaming services as a cable replacement despite rising subscription prices across platforms.
Streaming surpasses cable in TV viewership
Nielsen’s The Gauge report reveals that streaming platforms accounted for the largest share of all TV viewing formats, including cable, in December.
With more people watching YouTube on the biggest screen in their homes, the platform is solidifying its place as the new go-to destination for television entertainment.
How award shows are adapting to keep up with changing viewership trends
Award show season kicks off Jan. 5 with the Golden Globes. But as these annual ceremonies approach, one thing is clear: traditional TV viewership is not what it used to be. Viral moments often eclipse the celebration, leaving organizers scrambling to stay relevant.
One notable example is the infamous slap involving Chris Rock and Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars. The clip, which dominated social media in the days and weeks after, racked up millions of views on YouTube. It even surpassed the total viewership of that year’s Oscars broadcast, highlighting how audiences often engage more with snippets online than with full shows.
A glimmer of hope for ratings
Despite these challenges, there are signs of recovery. According to Variety, the 2023 Oscars drew more than 18 million viewers, marking a slight increase from previous years. However, ratings in the key 18-to-49 demographic continued to drop, showing there’s still work to be done.
The BAFTAs, officially known as the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, also experienced a decline in viewership. The 2024 ceremony saw 800,000 fewer viewers compared to the previous year, reflecting a broader trend of declining TV audiences.
However, the decline in award show ratings isn’t unique. Cable and satellite TV usage has plummeted in recent years. Pew Research reports that only 56% of Americans now watch TV through traditional cable or satellite services, down from 76% in 2015. Among the 18-to-29 age group, that number sits at just 34%.
Award shows adapt to modern audiences
With these numbers in mind, award shows are adapting to meet viewers where they are. For the first time ever, the Oscars will stream on Hulu in addition to its traditional ABC broadcast. This shift is part of a broader effort to appeal to on-demand viewers who prefer streaming platforms over live TV.
Social media is also playing a massive role. From live-tweeting during ceremonies to posting viral-worthy moments, platforms like Instagram, X and TikTok are becoming essential tools to engage audiences who may not tune in live.
Hosts and categories bring fresh energy
Hosts are another part of the strategy to keep award shows fresh. Comedian Conan O’Brien will make his debut as host of the 2025 Oscars, bringing his unique style to the ceremony. Over at the Golden Globes, Nikki Glaser will become the first woman to solo-host Hollywood’s party of the year.
The BAFTAs are also introducing new categories for 2025, including a children’s and family film award. This addition is designed to celebrate stories that resonate with intergenerational audiences.
While many award shows struggle with declining viewership, the Grammys offer a rare bright spot. After hitting a low point of 8 million viewers in 2021, this year’s broadcast rebounded significantly, drawing nearly 17 million viewers, according to Statista.
Ratings slump: Half of MSNBC viewers haven’t returned since Election Day
Six weeks after the 2020 election, MSNBC and CNN continue to face a steep decline in viewership, while Fox News has gained viewers. MSNBC’s prime-time ratings are down by more than half compared to pre-election numbers, with the network averaging about 600,000 viewers.
CNN’s viewership has dropped by 46%, averaging around 400,000 prime-time viewers. In contrast, Fox News has seen a 12% increase in its ratings since Election Day, drawing 2.7 million viewers.
While it’s not unusual for networks to lose viewers after an election, this decline is particularly sharp for MSNBC and CNN. Johanna Dunaway, a political science professor, told The Wall Street Journal that partisan viewers often disengage from the media when the opposing side celebrates an election victory.
Both Democrats and Republicans typically take a break from media consumption after their candidates lose. For example, after Joe Biden’s 2020 win, Fox News saw a 6% decline in viewership, and following Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection, Fox experienced a 13% drop.
In 2016, MSNBC and CNN also experienced temporary dips after Trump’s victory. However, when Trump took office in 2017, MSNBC saw a surge in viewership, driven by its left-leaning audience tuning in to watch the so-called “resistance” to the new administration.
MSNBC executives are optimistic that a similar trend will occur in 2025, hoping that viewers return after Trump’s inauguration. They expect that interest in the news cycle will rise as people react to Trump’s policies and actions while in office.
News ratings down after election, MSNBC sees 54% fall, CNN down 36%
It’s been a busy news cycle following the 2024 presidential election, a time of year when news organizations typically bank on high viewership due to public interest in election results and reactions. However, some networks are seeing their post-election audience quickly dissipate.
According to Nielsen ratings, MSNBC had a strong election night, drawing 6 million viewers. But in the days following the election, its viewership dropped significantly, falling to less than 1 million.
The network lost more than half of its audience compared to its October viewership, marking the lowest-rated non-holiday night of the year on Friday, Nov. 8.
MSNBC experienced a similar loss in viewership following the 2016 election after Donald Trump’s victory. However, the network rebounded, going on to have its four most-watched years in history from 2017 to 2020, as many news outlets capitalized on Trump-heavy coverage, generating record revenue.
CNN also saw a significant decline in viewership after last week’s election. The network attracted 5.1 million viewers during its election coverage, but in the days following the election, CNN’s viewership dropped to 611,000, a 36% decline compared to its October average of 953,000.
Fox News saw a different trend. While MSNBC and CNN were losing viewers, Fox News gained.
On election night, Fox attracted more than 10 million viewers, and in the days that followed, the network’s total viewership averaged over 4 million, a 34% increase from its October average. This was also a 58% jump compared to its year-to-date viewership for 2024.
While this trend reflects left-leaning cable networks losing viewers after Trump’s victory and right-leaning outlets gaining, there is one left-leaning talk show that defied the trend. “The View” saw a boost in viewership following Trump’s win, posting its best week of ratings in more than three years.
The ABC daytime talk show averaged 3 million viewers during the week of Nov. 5, making it the top-rated daytime talk show. The day after the election, “The View” had its most-watched episode in over a decade, drawing 4.5 million viewers, its highest since Barbara Walters’ farewell episode in 2014.
A total of 42 million people watched the election unfold across 18 TV networks, according to Nielsen. However, the viewership was down compared to the 2020 election, when 57 million tuned in, marking a 25% decrease in viewership this cycle.
Some in the media suggest that the decline in viewership on such a major news night can be attributed to a lack of trust in traditional media.
“The path of traditional media’s institutional collapse is really two intertwining stories: a breakdown of its business model exacerbated by a breakdown of influence, the extent of which became clear this campaign cycle,” Carlo Versano of Newsweek said. “Behind it all lies a growing sense among Americans that the media cannot be trusted to tell them the news they believe is fair.”
Vice President Kamala Harris concedes the election to former President Donald Trump. And President Joe Biden speaks to Trump to invite him to a meeting at the White House. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024.
Harris concedes presidential election to Trump
Donald Trump is once again president-elect, with more media outlets calling the election on Wednesday, Nov. 6. The former (and future) president not only won the Electoral College but the popular vote as well.
As of early Thursday morning, Nov. 7, Decision Desk HQ had Trump standing at 312 electoral votes, surpassing the 270 needed to win. His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris earned 226. Trump also led in the popular vote at close to 73 million, with Harris getting just over 68 million.
We heard from Trump celebrating his victory in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Harris chose not to speak at that time.
Instead, the vice president waited until the afternoon to address a crowd of supporters at Howard University, where she conceded the election.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” she said, “but hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Harris said she spoke with Trump on the phone to congratulate him. She also told her supporters it is important to accept the election results and engage in a peaceful transfer of power, calling it “a fundamental principle of American democracy.”
“At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our god,” she said. “My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
Harris also told the crowd, they might “feel dark times are ahead” but she hopes that’s not the case and added that “sometimes the fight takes a while.”
Harris, as the sitting vice president, will be the one overseeing Congress’ ceremonial certification of the election in January.
Meanwhile, there is speculation Trump could soon begin announcing appointments to key positions in his cabinet, in just a matter of days. Some prospective nominees reportedly canceled their flights out of south Florida Wednesday after election night celebrations, in order to remain close to Trump.
Biden congratulates Trump on win, invites him to White House
President Joe Biden also reached out to President-elect Trump over the phone on Wednesday. During that call, he invited Trump to a meeting at the White House and offered his congratulations.
The White House released a statement saying, “President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together.”
A Trump campaign spokesperson confirmed the call, and that Biden invited the president-elect to the White House to “ensure a smooth transition between the current administration and the incoming administration.” The Trump campaign said the White House meeting would take place shortly and Trump very much appreciated the call from Biden.
Biden also spoke to Vice President Harris on the phone Wednesday. He released a statement following her concession speech saying in part, “Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation.”
President Biden added that selecting Harris as his vice president was “the best decision” he made.
The president is expected to address the nation Thursday on the election and the transition of power.
This morning at 11 AM ET, I’ll address the nation to discuss the election results and the transition.
Special counsel, DOJ reportedly in talks to end Trump prosecutions
Now that former President Trump is once again president-elect, Special Counsel Jack Smith is reportedly in talks with Department of Justice leadership to figure out how to end the criminal cases against Trump. That’s what sources familiar with the matter have told several media outlets.
The DOJ has had a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president and Justice Department regulations say a special counsel must consult DOJ leaders — possibly even Attorney General Merrick Garland — on major decisions in an investigation.
Last year, Smith charged Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Those latter charges were dismissed by a judge earlier this year, but Smith has appealed that ruling. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Biden admin rushing billions in assistance to Ukraine: Reports
The Biden administration plans to rush billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine before President Biden leaves office in January, according to multiple reports. The goal is to make sure Ukraine’s government is in a good place when President-elect Trump takes office.
Trump has been critical of the scale of the U.S. military and financial support for Ukraine in its war with Vladimir Putin and Russia.
I had an excellent call with President @realDonaldTrump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory—his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work.
We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 6, 2024
In April, the Republican-controlled House approved more aid for Ukraine, including an allocation for weapons. However, more than $6 billion in aid that has been set aside for Ukraine has not made it there yet.
Trump has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly but has not specified how.
Cuba’s power grid collapses after Hurricane Rafael makes landfall
Hurricane Rafael weakened after making landfall in Cuba as a powerful Category 3 storm, but not before causing the island’s electrical grid to collapse.
While the storm is expected to stay in the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico, heavy rain will be seen in Florida and neighboring parts of the southeast. One to three inches of rain are expected for parts of the Florida Keys.
Rafael is the fifth major hurricane of the year in the Atlantic and the strongest to hit this late in the year since 2020.
Fox News wins election ratings, overall viewership falls from 2020
Fox News once again led the pack, getting the most viewers on election night. During primetime hours between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, 9.8 million viewers tuned into Fox News. However, that is down from the nearly 14 million viewers who watched in 2020.
On the broadcast side, ABC News came in No. 1 in primetime with 5.6 million viewers.
Overall, Nielsen said across 18 cable and broadcast networks, 42 .3 million people tuned into coverage. That’s down more than 25% from 2020, when election coverage drew nearly 57 million viewers.
*Corrections to Wednesday’s “Unbiased Updates”: We would like to correct that North Carolina did not ‘flip’ blue as the current governor, Roy Cooper, is a Democrat.And, in our final story, history was made in three states on Election Day as two of the elections we mentioned took place in Delaware.
Trump sues CBS News for $10B over edits of ‘60 Minutes’ Harris interview
Former President Donald Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against CBS News on Thursday, Oct. 31, accusing the network of manipulating an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes.” Trump’s legal team claims the network’s editing misrepresented Harris’ answer in a way that could influence the 2024 election.
The lawsuit alleges that CBS engaged in “deceptive broadcasting conduct,” specifically by using a selectively edited clip of Harris to promote the interview. Trump’s team argues the clip was an attempt to portray Harris in a more favorable light.
Getty Images
According to court filings, the full interview aired with a different response from Harris than what was shown in the promotional clip. That led Trump to claim the edit was a partisan act aimed at deceiving voters.
Trump’s attorneys argue that CBS’ actions amount to unlawful election interference. They claim it misinformed the public and inflicting harm on Trump’s campaign and supporters.
The former president is also requesting a jury trial. He asked the Federal Communications Commission to consider revoking CBS’ broadcast license over what he calls “malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion.”
Fox News also faced controversy last month, amid allegations of using similar editing tactics to condense Trump’s answers during a barbershop interview on “Fox & Friends.”
CBS News hasn’t responded to the lawsuit or the allegations.
Lainey Wilson set for NFL Thanksgiving halftime, Red Kettle campaign kickoff
Country music star Lainey Wilson, the reigning CMA and ACM Entertainment of the Year award winner, will be performing at the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day game featuring the Dallas Cowboys, the league announced Sunday, Oct. 13. This year, the Cowboys will face their NFC East rival, the New York Giants, at AT&T Stadium.
The Pulitzer Prize winner will have a lot of eyes on him when he takes the field at the Caesar Superdome. Last year’s Super Bowl attracted 123.7 million people — the largest TV audience on record, according to Nielsen.
While the Super Bowl is without question the NFL’s most watched game of the entire year, with many considering it to be a national holiday, the NFL’s most watched game of the regular season happens a few months earlier.
The NFL’s Thanksgiving game continues to break regular season viewership records. Last year’s game against the Washington Commanders averaged 41.8 million viewers, only beaten in ratings by 2022’s game between Dallas and the Giants with over 42 million viewers.
Wilson, coming off a Best Country Album win at this year’s Grammys, will follow in the footsteps of Reba McEntire, the Jonas Brothers and last year’s performer Dolly Parton.
Along with football and music, the halftime show will kick off the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign for the 28th time. The Red Kettle campaign itself is entering its 134th year.
The Salvation Army said it has raised over $3 billion since the first Red Kettle kickoff halftime show almost 30 years ago.
In a statement, Wilson called it an honor to kick off the Red Kettle campaign.
“We truly can do more good when we come together to serve those in need in our communities,” she said.
The Cowboys-Giants game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, on Fox.
