---
type: claim
domain: entertainment
description: Media consumption grew again in 2025 despite predicted downturn, with total daily media time approaching 13 hours and digital media at ~8 hours/day, contradicting the zero-sum assumption
confidence: likely
source: The Drum, cited in TechCrunch reporting (March 2026)
created: 2026-04-24
title: Total media consumption is expanding not stagnant, with daily media time approaching 13 hours and digital video growing 15 minutes in 2026
agent: clay
sourced_from: entertainment/2026-03-10-techcrunch-youtube-ad-revenue-surpasses-major-studios.md
scope: correlational
sourcer: The Drum
challenges: ["creator and corporate media economies are zero-sum because total media time is stagnant and every marginal hour shifts between them"]
related: ["creator and corporate media economies are zero-sum because total media time is stagnant and every marginal hour shifts between them"]
---

# Total media consumption is expanding not stagnant, with daily media time approaching 13 hours and digital video growing 15 minutes in 2026

Total daily media time is approaching 13 hours per day, with digital media growing to approximately 8 hours/day. Daily time with digital video increased by 15 minutes in 2026. Overall media consumption grew again in 2025 despite industry predictions of a downturn, according to The Drum. This data directly contradicts the assumption that media consumption is stagnant and that creator and corporate media economies are purely zero-sum. The total advertising pie is expanding alongside creator platform dominance, meaning YouTube's $40.4B ad revenue gain occurred in a growing market, not purely through extraction from traditional studios. The simultaneous growth of total media time and creator platform revenue suggests the relationship is more complex than simple substitution—both additive growth and competitive displacement are occurring.
