Not bad if you can get it.
It was early in the 2000’s, about 2005 maybe, and just before I started Australasian Camcorder (which has morphed into what you see now), I was asked by my publisher at the time to investigate the possibility of setting up an “Australian YouTube”.
For one reason or another I won’t go into, of course that never happened, but looking back on it now, I don’t think there was any idea of the logistics needed to do such a thing, let alone maintain it.
According to the latest numbers I can get, over 500 hours of material is published to YouTube every MINUTE. The computer power to allow that is staggering and beyond the average person’s grasp I suspect.
I mention this due to a new item that crossed my desk 10 minutes ago; Google’s investment in YouTube – yes, they own it, surprise, surprise – has paid off handsomely it appears.
You see, According to new estimates from research firm Moffett Nathanson the platform pulled in a staggering $40.4 billion in ad revenue, which is more than Disney, NBC, Paramount, and Warner Bros Discovery combined!
Last month, parent company Alphabet (read Google) reported YouTube’s total revenue in 2025 was $60 billion with a big portion of that coming from subscriptions which include services like YouTube TV, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music. By comparison, Netflix reported $45.2 billion for the full year.
This is a clear sign of just how over the years content consumption has changed and how advertisers have adapted their strategies.