YouTube Surpasses Disney as Largest Media Company
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 11 2026
0mins
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Revenue Comparison: Analysts at MoffettNathanson estimate that YouTube's revenue reached $62 billion in 2025, surpassing Disney's $60 billion, marking a significant shift towards streaming platforms and highlighting the ongoing decline of traditional media.
- User Growth: YouTube has over 325 million paid subscribers and generated approximately $40.4 billion in ad revenue, showcasing its robust user base and profitability, which further solidifies its leadership position in the global media landscape.
- Challenges for Disney: Despite Disney achieving total revenue of $94.4 billion in 2025, a 3% year-over-year increase, the ongoing decline of its legacy media business pressures the company's performance, prompting management to implement cost-cutting and strategic adjustments.
- Investor Confidence: Disney's stock price has remained flat over the past decade and is down about 48% from its peak five years ago, leading investors to adopt a cautious outlook on its future performance, reflecting concerns over the transition in the traditional media sector.
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Analyst Views on DIS
Wall Street analysts forecast DIS stock price to rise
19 Analyst Rating
16 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 103.530
Low
123.00
Averages
137.29
High
152.00
Current: 103.530
Low
123.00
Averages
137.29
High
152.00
About DIS
The Walt Disney Company is a diversified worldwide entertainment company. The Company's segments include Entertainment, Sports and Experiences. The Entertainment segment generally encompasses its non-sports focused global film and episodic content production and distribution activities. The lines of business within the Entertainment segment along with their business activities include Linear Networks, Direct-to-Consumer, and Content Sales/Licensing. The Sports segment encompasses its sports-focused global television and direct-to-consumer (DTC) video streaming content production and distribution activities. The lines of business within the Sports segment include ESPN and Star. The Experiences segment includes Parks and Experiences and Consumer Products. Parks and Experiences consists of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Resort in California, Disney Cruise Line, and others. Consumer Products includes licensing of its trade names, characters, visual, literary and other IP.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Founder Resignation: Co-founder and long-time CEO Reed Hastings will step down from the board on June 4, marking the first time he will not hold a formal position, which may trigger investor anxiety regarding the company's future leadership.
- Cultural Impact: Hastings is known for establishing a unique corporate culture that promotes high performers while generously severing low performers, and this culture may face challenges in his absence, potentially affecting company operations.
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- Technological Integration Advantage: The tool combines Disney's audience data and streaming inventory with Omnicom's Acxiom identity capabilities and Innovid's creative sequencing technology, allowing brands to serve different ads based on viewers' prior exposure, thereby improving ad effectiveness.
- Intelligent Analysis Application: For video-on-demand campaigns, Disney Advertising will leverage AI and machine learning to analyze program content, helping align advertising messages with viewing context, which further enhances the relevance and effectiveness of ads.
- Market Expansion Plans: This advertising solution is currently available in the U.S., with plans to expand to Europe later this year and then to Latin America, demonstrating the companies' commitment to the global advertising market and strategic positioning.
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