Traditional television in the Philippines is steadily losing audience share as YouTube expands its reach beyond what linear TV can deliver, according to a 2025 Kantar study.
The data shows YouTube now provides 60% incremental reach on top of traditional TV, a metric that signals how much additional audience advertisers can access beyond standard broadcast channels. It means brands relying only on TV are missing a significant portion of Filipino viewers.
The shift is more pronounced outside major cities. In rural Visayas and Mindanao, 97% of Filipinos reported watching online TV programs on YouTube at least once in the past month. That level of penetration suggests that for many households, especially those with limited access to consistent broadcast signals, YouTube is no longer a secondary platform.
“In 2026, Filipinos aren’t just online; they’re on a mission,” said Prep Palacios, country manager for Google Philippines. “They’re intentionally ‘hacking’ their daily lives to find maximum utility and deeper meaning in everything they do.”
YouTube also ranked as the No. 1 video streaming platform in the Philippines by reach, further tightening its grip on a market long dominated by free-to-air television.
The implications for broadcasters are structural. As audiences fragment, networks are no longer competing just against each other but against a platform that aggregates content, controls distribution, and captures viewer data at scale.
This is reflected in the growing presence of local media companies such as ABS-CBN, GMA, and TV5 on YouTube, where they now distribute news, dramas, and live events to maintain relevance and audience share.
“So, whether they’re learning a new skill for economic gains or finding a moment of relief in their favorite story, they go to YouTube. It remains the undisputed No. 1 destination where content, commerce, and community converge to drive the results that matter most,” she added.
For advertisers and media planners, the takeaway is straightforward. Campaigns built around TV alone are becoming less efficient, while digital video, particularly YouTube, is increasingly necessary to achieve full audience coverage.
The trend points to a redefinition of “mass media” in the Philippines, where reach is no longer owned by broadcast networks but by platforms that can deliver content anytime, across devices, and on demand.