Many people around the world enjoy watching many different things for entertainment in their free time. Plus, with so many different platforms to watch on, you could access anything. But what would happen if you were forced to choose between one or another? Let’s dive into this week’s debate on YouTube vs. Netflix.
YouTube is a social media app that allows creators to upload videos to the internet, whether comedy, music, video games, political, or even how-to-videos. As of February 2022, YouTube accumulated 1.7 billion unique viewers monthly. YouTube’s parent company, Google, is the only other website globally that has more visits than YouTube. The super-popular media of YouTube has plenty of content, but there are a few other issues. YouTube’s ads are consistently annoying, and with in-video sponsorships, a lot of the content is sponsored, which can certainly be vexing. But for $120 annually for YouTube Premium or $720 annually for YouTube TV, these advertisements could be taken out. The problem is, the one major difference between YouTube and Netflix is that you can use YouTube for free, but you have to sacrifice a few seconds of ads.
Netflix is a major streaming service which allows one, with a paying subscription, to be able to watch many movies, shows, or series in order. Even though Netflix has many competitors like Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and Paramount+, it is still the most popular. With an announced 222 million subscribers in 2021, Netlflix had tens of millions more subscribers than the second-most popular app, Amazon Prime. Over a quarter of the adult (18+) population in Canada and the United States in total have a Netflix subscription, according to comparitech.com. The subscription is either $9.99, $15.49, or $19.99 per month depending on what plan you want. After gaining $29.7 billion in 2021 and a net worth of $160.7 billion last April, the streaming service is sure to keep growing each year. After growing so much already, they have been able to create their own series with many notable actors and actresses. This year, they have 27 Oscar nominations for their original films.
Between these two applications, there is one main difference. Do you prioritize full television and movies, or do you prefer little shorts or skits that have been edited exclusively? If you do indeed watch more series or movies, then Netflix is the way to go. With a few multi-thousand films, it would not be hard to find something to match your interest. But if you are truly already on YouTube multiple times a day like most everyone, then that might sway your direction due to the many creators on that platform posting weekly (sometimes daily) content.
Either way, you’re making the right choice. And while we would prefer to have both, it would certainly be interesting to see who would choose which option.
Click here to vote or go to the “Vote Your Mind” section on the newspaper’s website.
- Jacob Francy
Sources:
cordcutting.com
comparitech.com
latimes.com
forbes.com
netlfix.com
blog.hootsuite.com