# YouTube CEO Outlines Key Areas of Focus for 2025

YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has introduced his 4 pillars of focus for the 12 months forward, because the platform seems to lean into rising utilization behaviors, and align with the artistic AI shift.

Annually, Mohan publishes an summary of what he’s targeted on, based mostly on key tendencies, during which he additionally contains some worthwhile utilization notes and pointers that would affect your YouTube technique.

And this 12 months is not any completely different, with Mohan offering some key development notes, whereas additionally highlighting the way in which forward for the app.

First off, Mohan says that YouTube is now the “epicentre of tradition” as a consequence of its increasing cultural affect, in numerous methods.

As per Mohan:

“This was clear within the lead as much as the 2024 U.S. Presidential election as People got here to YouTube for election-related content material from a broad vary of sources, together with Joe Rogan’s interview with President Trump which garnered 55 million views (and counting) and primetime comedy sketches on Saturday Night time Dwell. From elections to the Olympics to Coachella to the Tremendous Bowl and the Cricket World Cup, the world’s largest moments play out on YouTube.”

On this entrance, Mohan additionally notes that podcasts have seen important progress within the app, with YouTube now turning into probably the most incessantly used service for listening to podcasts within the U.S.

“We’ve lengthy invested within the podcast expertise and creators have discovered that video makes this format much more compelling. This 12 months we’ll roll out extra instruments to help podcasters, enhance monetization for creators, and make it even simpler to find podcasts.”

That’s fairly wonderful, that YouTube, which is primarily targeted on video, is now additionally seeing such enormous podcast help, which might make it a much bigger consideration in your podcast technique, if it wasn’t already.

Mohan additionally says YouTube is dedicated to helping creators in constructing their YouTube presence, by way of expanded monetization pathways and help.

Mohan says that whereas adverts stay the important thing income stream for many, YouTube can also be investing in new methods for creators to accomplice with manufacturers to maximise their efforts.

“Final 12 months, greater than 50% of channels incomes 5 figures or extra on YouTube made cash from sources aside from adverts & YouTube Premium. Buying suggestions are additionally turning into a key income stream for a lot of creators, like Bora Claire who not too long ago shared with us that she generated lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} in gross sales from a single video reviewing cashmere cardigans. And final 12 months we noticed greater than a 40% enhance in channel memberships.”

Enhanced monetization pathways, together with new revenue streams, will stay a spotlight for YouTube this 12 months, whereas it’ll additionally work to include extra in-stream gross sales and buying alternatives.

Linked TV viewing can also be massive, with Mohan noting that TV has now surpassed cellular as the first machine for YouTube viewing within the U.S. by watch time.

Which is a big shift, and Mohan’s trying to lean into this by offering new, interactive TV viewing experiences.

“As extra creators produce content material for the massive display, we’re bringing the most effective of YouTube to TVs, together with a second display expertise that permits you to use your cellphone to work together with the video you are watching on TV — for instance, to go away a remark or make a purchase order. We’re additionally experimenting with a brand new function known as Watch With, which permits creators to offer stay commentary and actual time reactions to video games and occasions. We started testing this function final 12 months with the NFL and can experiment with different sports activities and kinds of content material this 12 months.”

This has lengthy been the Holy Grail of social media engagement, in connecting TV viewing to on-line interplay, and if YouTube can get it proper, this might be a significant lure for extra, larger TV productions and tasks, aligning with YouTube viewing behaviors.

Additionally attention-grabbing:

“We’ll use machine studying in 2025 to assist us estimate a person’s age – distinguishing between youthful viewers and adults – to assist present the most effective and most age acceptable experiences and protections.”

Not lots of element there, however it’ll be attention-grabbing to see what options YouTube comes up with on this entrance.

In fact, AI can also be one other focus, with YouTube trying to incorporate extra AI options to assist creators take advantage of their content material.

YouTube has already included a variety of AI parts, like background picture technology and AI soundtrack choices.

Subsequent up, it’s trying to allow video thumbnail creation by way of AI, in addition to title strategies, whereas it additionally not too long ago expanded entry to AI-generated audio in different languages, which might help to broaden your viewers.

On the opposite facet, YouTube’s additionally creating instruments to assist people detect and management how AI is used to depict them on YouTube.

These are all necessary parts, and it’ll be attention-grabbing to see how YouTube continues to deal with every facet of AI content material creation, whereas additionally facilitating enhanced alternatives by way of the identical.  

Some worthwhile tips on YouTube’s key areas of focus, and the place it’s seeing progress, which might assist to information your individual YouTube content material technique.

You possibly can learn Mohan’s full 2025 overview right here.