Barb YouTube TV viewing figures
Barb’s newly launched measurement of YouTube viewing on in-home TV sets has revealed that audiences for some of the platform’s most popular channels are much closer to traditional broadcast numbers than many in the industry assumed. While certain shows like Peppa Pig achieve huge reach via YouTube, the scale is often more modest compared to perceptions of the platform’s dominance, especially when viewing is isolated to TV screens.
The most striking result came from Peppa Pig, which during the week ending 20 July achieved a reach of 148,000 on Channel 5, compared to 758,000 on its official YouTube channel viewed via smart TVs. Yet the picture changes with other children’s brands. Bluey reached 356,000 on YouTube TV compared with 311,400 on CBeebies, showing only a slight uplift. Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom saw 127,000 on YouTube TV versus 109,200 on Nick Jr, again a smaller gap than many might expect.
Barb’s publication of the 200 most-watched YouTube channels in the UK now allows direct comparisons between viewing on the 20-year-old tech platform and traditional linear broadcasters. The figures have already raised interesting questions for programme makers, platform strategists and advertisers looking to assess audience behaviour across devices.
Even global YouTube stars are not immune to the comparison. MrBeast, one of the platform’s biggest names, recorded a reach of 319,000 on YouTube TV viewing in the tested week. This was slightly less than the 327,000 reach achieved by Quest’s Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House, which attracted 178,800 viewers on linear TV. These numbers challenge assumptions about YouTube’s overwhelming lead in capturing audiences, at least when it comes to smart TV viewing.
The findings arrive soon after Ofcom’s ‘Transmission Critical’ review of public service media, which warned of YouTube’s growing impact on traditional broadcasters and recommended that PSBs create more YouTube-friendly content. However, Barb’s data only measures in-home UK TV set viewing, not audiences on smartphones, tablets, PCs or viewing outside the home. This means YouTube’s total reach remains significantly higher when factoring in other devices, but the smart TV comparison offers a fresh perspective on audience crossover.
For broadcasters, the message is that YouTube TV viewing may not yet have eclipsed linear as decisively as some feared, creating space for both platforms to coexist in the living room. For advertisers, the lesson is to avoid overestimating or underestimating platform dominance without a clear breakdown by device, context and viewing habits. Barb’s dataset is likely to prompt renewed reflection on YouTube and direct-to-consumer strategies, especially for brands looking to balance reach across both linear and connected platforms.
