Google is coming under fire with anti-trust cases relating to its search. This is going to be a non-issue in another year or two due to the fact that generative AI will make search, as we know it, obsolete.
In response, Google is improving their Gemini LLM, ensuring that it is in the game.
One area where there appears to be little uncertainty is with streaming. He we see YouTube dominating. This is going to continue, as it has for much of the last two years.
Google Is The Dominate Player In Streaming
Netflix gets a lot of attention. While it was the trailblazer, it is no longer he leader. When it comes to the most viewed streaming service, according to Nielson, we are looking at Google.
The traditional players do not like YouTube being factored into this. As we can see with the ensuing charts, it is simply impossible for the ratings agency to omit it.
As a percentage of the total video time, Google has a nice share of the market, topping 10%.
Here are the July numbers.
What is impressive is YouTube saw a jump in August, while Netflix saw a massive drop. Google now is up by 2.5%. This means its lead is larger than the total share that everyone but Prime Video has.
This is stunning in light of the amount of money the others have spent. You look at Disney, with its Plus along with Hulu package. Combined they are only 4.7%. The company spent tens of billions acquiring the properties from Fox along with buying its stake in Hulu. As we can see, that hasn't pumped them to the top of the leaderboard.
The other factor here is Google continues to receive the content for free. YouTube has users uploading.
Basically, this is becoming a go-to for many. This is compounded by the fact many are now viewing YouTube through their televisions.
Web 3.0 Following Suit
What YouTube is doing to traditional media is what Web 3.0 must do in return.
The democratization of entertainment is crucial. This means pulling eyeballs, one minute at a time from these behemoths. TikTok showed how this is possible. carving a powerful niche for itself.
We are going to have to see Web 3.0 platforms focus the same attention. They will need to get users to upload content and have mechanisms in place that allow people to watch for hours on end. This is how social media works.
In fact, the entire streaming world has embraced this model. There is not a streaming service that you can utilize that does not recommend videos after you finish one. This is standard fare.
Web 3.0 must have this basic component implemented. This is crucial for getting views.
Of course, the other crucial factor is getting a library of content. YouTube can get millions of hours of viewing of older content. There are near two decades of material. all of this can be placed in front of people, with some of it being viewed.
As they say, it all adds up.
Many get stuck on the idea of Hollywood content. For years, YouTube had content that was far from this. Today, it is embarking upon something different. Web 3.0 should learn the lesson and get its users focused upon doing this but in a decentralized manner.