• by Wayne Friedman , October 7, 2021

Viewers of YouTube on big TV screens will continue to grow -- but at a somewhat slower pace.

The percentage of those watching YouTube at least once a month -- 55.4% -- will rise to 9% this year, to hit 123.4 million. Next year, it is projected to increase 5.7% to 130.8 million, eMarketer says.

Overall -- on any device TV or otherwise -- the research group forecasts a 4.4% gain, to 223.5 million viewers this year.

YouTube on TV, like many other video services, witnessed a sharp rise in viewing during the COVID-19 pandemic -- seeing sharp growth of 63% in 2020 to 113.1 million viewers. Last year, more YouTube viewers watched content on their big TV screens (53%) than anywhere else. This was a big jump from a 34% level in 2019.

YouTube is projected to get 61% -- 143.4 million by 2025.

In terms of penetration/reach, eMarketer says YouTube is the No. 1 OTT platform, when it comes to OTT video service users, with a market share of 95.5%.

The company says it is the No. 2 service when it comes to total hours spent watching content on connected TV, according to Comscore.