YouTube Music and Premium Reach 150 Million Subscribers
YouTube Music and Premium have reached 150 million subscribers, up from 100 million in early 2024. The increase comes as YouTube’s ad revenue growth slowed in the third quarter of 2026: ads generated $11.2 billion, up 9% year over year, compared with 13% growth in Q2, according to parent company Alphabet’s earnings release.
YouTube also contributed to an 11% increase in Google’s overall subscription revenue.
Connected TV adds to ad revenue
In its second-quarter earnings call, Alphabet said YouTube saw significant momentum in Premium sign-ups among connected TV viewers. Nielsen’s The Gauge report ranked YouTube as the top streaming platform in the U.S. in August 2026.
Google Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler said in the Q3 earnings call that Living Room, YouTube’s connected TV experience, accounted for more than one-third of total YouTube ads revenue.
Creator and shopping programs expand
Schindler said more than three million creators are available through YouTube’s partnership program, while more than 1.3 million channels are enrolled in YouTube Shopping. YouTube also announced an Amazon affiliate partnership that will let U.S.-based creators tag Amazon products in videos, Shorts and livestreams.
Schindler said more than 20 million videos are uploaded to YouTube each day. He also pointed to new generative AI tools in YouTube Studio and a conversational editing assistant in Shorts and YouTube Create.
