Alphabet (GOOG) MoffettNathanson 2025 Media, Internet & Communications Conference summary

Reflections and strategic priorities

• YouTube has evolved from a simple video-sharing site to a global hub for the creator economy, with creators driving innovation and cultural influence worldwide.

• Strategic focus centers on empowering creators, enhancing viewer engagement through new formats like Shorts and podcasts, and strengthening monetization across AVOD and SVOD models.

• The platform's flywheel model interlinks creator growth, audience engagement, and monetization, reinforcing each other.

Engagement, viewership, and product innovation

• Connected TV is now the primary way people watch YouTube in the U.S., with over a billion hours of global watch time on CTVs.

• Shorts has seen 20% year-on-year growth in engaged views, with 70% of channels uploading Shorts, making it a key driver of creativity and audience participation.

• Podcasts attract over a billion monthly users, with video podcasts and discovery tools fueling growth.

Creator ecosystem and competition

• Creators view YouTube as their home base, with audience growth and monetization as top priorities.

• Over $70 billion was paid out to creators and partners from 2021 to 2023, with annual growth over the past decade.