Audience measurement firm Barb, its research partner Kantar Media and YouTube-focused ad company SeeViews are gearing up to start reporting on the number of viewers who watch YouTube on their TVs. 

Based on volume and viewership, the three companies have selected 200 YouTube channels to roll into Barb’s daily audience reports, starting in Q3 2025. This is an expansion of a previous proof-of-concept effort that ran in November 2024 and tracked viewing for 175 videos from 12 YouTube channels, including some that feature kids content. 

Significantly for the children’s industry, TV sets were the most-used device by four- to 15-year-old watching YouTube in 2024, according to Barb, representing more than half of this demo’s at-home YouTube watch time. And data from November 2023 showed more or less the same result at 44%. 

Tracking this behavior now makes good business sense, given that YouTube viewing on TVs grew by 31% in the UK last year, according to Lucy Bristowe, Kantar Media’s CEO for UK and Western Europe. And 41% of the region’s YouTube viewing in 2024 took place on TVs, beating out smartphones at 31%. It’s an interesting shift for the industry to be aware of because last year marked the first time that Barb’s data showed TV sets were the most-used device for watching YouTube. 

“Our new data on the content people are watching on YouTube will meet several needs across our industry,” adds Barb CEO Justin Sampson. “Advertisers and media agencies are looking for more insight into the most-watched editorial environments on YouTube, while program-makers use our data to inform the commissioning process. We also anticipate the data will be of interest to those working in industry regulation.”

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