My Kid Would Rather Watch Paw Patrol Toys on YouTube Than the Show — And He’s Not Alone

The setup: One morning, Kindergarten Screens got ready for school without a fight. His reward: TV time. I turned on Paw Patrol. He wasn’t happy.

“Wrong Paw Patrol,” he said. Then he told me to add “toys” to my YouTube search.

First video? 771M views.

Let’s break it down into 4 big questions:
1) What does this say about TV’s future?
2) Does “quality” matter as we age?
3) Can niche videos make money?
4) What happens next?

What does this say about TV’s future?

Riches in niches: YouTube is full of Paw Patrol toy stories made by creators. And kids love them more than the high-budget show.

Takeaway: Relevance > production value.

Does “quality” matter as we age?

No. Recently, I wanted to catch up on my Buckeyes (👑) as they prepare their title defense.

Here is how my content choice has shifted from mass to niche:
1) 2000s - ESPN SportsCenter
2) 2010s - Big Ten Network
3) 2020s - YouTube algo picks a video podcast with Coach Day and ex-players

Low production. Niche focus. I watched all 49 minutes. Just like Kindergarten Screens and his toy videos.

Can niche videos make money?

Yes, but only with scale.

Revenue per hour (MoffettNathanson):
1) Linear TV - $0.57
2) YouTube - $0.18

Example:
1) Football podcast → 9K views = $518 revenue → $285 to creator.
2) Paw Patrol toy video → 773M views = $6M revenue → $4M to creator.

👉 For $10K in creator revenue, a 20-minute YouTube video needs ≈300K views.

What happens next?

Wake-up call: One year ago, YouTube beat Disney by 12% in TV share. Today: 35%.

My readers consistently lose their shit over one thing.  Counting YouTube as TV.  Guess what?  That’s over. 

The real question: Which content wins, and who gets paid?

Niche content flywheel: As YouTube’s audience (↑ 24% YoY) grows, expect even more hyper-niche content that steals attention — and ad dollars — from traditional TV.

 More time on YouTube → More ad revenue for YouTube creators → More niche content → More time on YouTube