In 2025, the question isn’t whether YouTube belongs in your living room — it’s how far it will go in taking over it.
A new golf comedy, Shanked, recently premiered on YouTube, offering a 20-minute dose of country club chaos, complete with employee-versus-member drama. Though modest in budget, it marks something much bigger: the growing shift of traditional TV entertainment into the realm of online creators.
YouTube Is No Longer Just for Vlogs
For years, YouTube was seen as the internet’s playground for amateur clips, music videos, and DIY tutorials. But that perception has drastically changed. According to Nielsen, YouTube is now the most-watched platform on TVs, outperforming industry giants like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video.
Goldman Sachs estimates the creator economy will be worth nearly $480 billion by 2027, and YouTube is leading the charge. Creators like Dhar Mann and Alan Chikin Chow already produce episodic content that looks a lot like traditional TV — and now YouTube is nudging even more creators to follow suit.
Shanked
: A Sign of the Times
Created by comedian James Lynch and produced by London Alley’s Ryan Horrigan, Shanked taps into a space overlooked by network TV: low-budget, scripted comedy. YouTube, Horrigan explained, now actively favors 20-minute shows, making it the perfect home for the kind of content cable TV has moved away from.
Lynch, who also stars in the show, puts it plainly:
“We love shows like Severance, but every time I go to a friend’s house, there’s always something on YouTube.”
Big Brands Are Finally Catching Up
Even as YouTube dominates viewership, many advertisers have lagged behind. For years, they poured money into traditional platforms, chasing impressions over cultural impact. But things are changing fast.
Media measurement firm Mondo Metrics reports that creator content dominates watch time on TV screens, and brands are beginning to move their budgets accordingly. WPP projects creators will earn $185 billion via brand deals and ad revenue, surpassing what networks like Disney and Paramount rake in from traditional ads.
Major advertisers like Unilever are also doubling down on influencer spending, shifting 50% of their ad budget to social platforms and expanding their creator partnerships twentyfold.
Hollywood Isn’t Out — But It’s Being Rethought
While YouTube offers freedom, control, and revenue share (creators keep 55% of ad money), traditional Hollywood models still revolve around owning intellectual property and controlling distribution. This has led some creators to walk away from Netflix deals, unwilling to give up rights to e-commerce, spin-offs, or merchandise.
That said, streamers are adapting.
- Amazon invested over $100 million into MrBeast’s Beast Games, now its most-watched unscripted show.
- Netflix is working with creators like The Sidemen and Ms. Rachel.
- HBO Max features Paul American, starring Jake and Logan Paul.
- Hulu found success with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
- Tubi launched “Stubios” to nurture emerging YouTube-style filmmakers.
- Peacock recently announced a slate of creator-developed shows.
Studios are no longer just licensing creator content. They’re partnering from concept to execution, tapping creators not just as influencers, but as producers with ideas.
What’s Next? Horror? Teen Romance?
Ryan Horrigan believes this is just the beginning.
“What’s next — is horror going to be a thing on YouTube, teen romance? I think that’s going to be a thing as well.”
The creative possibilities on YouTube are expanding, and creators are climbing the value chain. Shows like Shanked might look like quirky, one-off experiments, but they represent a larger shift: the blending of social media entertainment and mainstream TV.
In the end, it’s not just a question of whether Hollywood can adapt. It’s about who will lead the future of entertainment — and where they’ll choose to premiere their next big idea.
Bottom Line: In 2025, YouTube isn’t just competing with television — it’s rewriting the rules.
