How we got 100k views in 48 hours. Full breakdown.
November 3, 2025
At Owen Creative, we recently helped a client achieve 100,000 views in 48 hours. The video is on track to reach one million views within a month. You can see the statistics below.
The reason for this success isn't a secret algorithm hack or viral luck. It's a strategic adaptation to one of the most significant - and most overlooked - shifts happening on YouTube right now: the explosion of TV viewership.
Viewer behavior on YouTube has fundamentally changed. People are watching YouTube on television more than ever before because most smart TVs now come with YouTube pre-installed, making it the default entertainment option in millions of living rooms.
Just take a look at the graph below. As you can see, when people turn on their television, they're increasingly choosing YouTube first - before Netflix, Disney+, or Hulu. In fact, YouTube has now overtaken Netflix as the world's number one streaming platform.
The reason for this is simple.
Traditional streaming services offer limited catalogues that viewers exhaust quickly.
YouTube, by contrast, provides infinite content with over 500 hours uploaded every minute. More importantly, YouTube's recommendation algorithm is the most sophisticated in the world, delivering endless, personalized entertainment tailored to individual preferences.
Whilst YouTube isn't replacing Netflix, it is competing for the same living-room attention span.
And it's winning.
Most brands still produce YouTube content as if it will be consumed on mobile devices. This is a critical strategic error.
Viewer behavior on television differs fundamentally from mobile consumption. TV viewers commit to longer sessions, expect higher production quality, and engage differently with content.
They're not scrolling - they're settling in. They're not looking for quick videos to watch - they're seeking immersive long form videos they can enjoy.
As such, if your YouTube strategy isn't optimized for TV audiences, you're leaving millions of views on the table. Our recent client video received 55% of its watch time from television screens. That's not an outlier - it's the new standard.
Adapting your content strategy for TV viewers requires specific tactical adjustments across production, design, and distribution. Here's what works from our testing:
Film in 4K minimum. HD footage looks soft and low-quality on 65-inch screens. Television viewers expect cinematic production values, and resolution is the foundation.
Prioritize professional color grading and lighting that delivers visual impact on large displays. Your content should feel premium - more akin to a Netflix documentary than a social media clip.
Thumbnail design becomes critical. Use high-contrast compositions with minimal elements. Thumbnails must be readable from 5-10 feet away, which means simplicity wins.
Busy designs that work on mobile screens fail completely on TV, where viewers can't examine fine details from across the room. For example, the thumbnail we created is incredibly visual and easy to understand from far away.
TV audiences want - and expect - long-form content. Sessions average 10-30+ minutes, not 30-second clips. This aligns with the platform's evolution: YouTube on TV competes with Netflix, not TikTok.
Structure videos to be bingeable and immersive. Reduce friction points that might cause viewers to exit. Think "mini documentary" rather than "promotional ad." Production quality, narrative arc, and pacing matter more on TV than any other format.
Short-form content has its place in your strategy, but it's a discovery tool that should funnel viewers to long-form content - not the primary offering on your channel.
Text must be large, bold, and readable from distance. Small fonts that work on mobile are illegible on TV. Test all text elements from at least five feet away before publishing.
Center captions cinematically rather than placing them at screen edges. Take a look at the image below as an example.
Edge placement forces head movement and eye strain on large displays. Cinema-style centered captions feel natural and maintain viewer comfort during long sessions.
Similarly, keep motion graphics clean and minimal. Cluttered lower thirds, excessive on-screen elements, and busy animations create visual fatigue on large screens. Simplicity enhances rather than diminishes perceived production value.
Traditional CTAs fail on TV. Pinned comments, clickable links, and description URLs are inaccessible to viewers on television screens. Adapt your conversion strategy accordingly.
Use QR codes strategically. Place them within videos so viewers can scan with their phones while watching. Add QR codes to your channel banner for discoverability when users browse your profile through TV apps.
Design QR codes for distance scanning - larger sizes, higher contrast, and longer on-screen duration. Test from 8-10 feet to ensure functionality in real viewing conditions.
We’ve started getting all our clients to do this and the results have been incredible.
Optimize your audio mix for larger speaker systems. Television audio differs dramatically from phone speakers or earbuds. Deeper bass response, balanced dialogue levels, and dynamic range all require specific mixing approaches.
Maintain consistent volume levels across your entire video and your entire channel.
Sudden volume spikes disrupt the living-room experience and train viewers to lower volume - reducing impact of your entire audio design.
Consider spatial sound and ambient layers for immersion. TV viewers have sound systems that can reproduce sophisticated audio design. Leverage this capability to create more engaging experiences.
Our recent case study demonstrates the tangible impact of TV-optimized strategy:
These results aren't exceptional for TV-optimized content - they're becoming the baseline when strategy aligns with platform evolution.
Many videos we produce using this methodology now tracks toward seven-figure view counts.
The difference between mediocre performance and breakthrough results often comes down to a single question: Are you optimizing for 2019's mobile-first YouTube, or 2025's living-room platform?
TV viewership represents the biggest hidden growth lever on YouTube in 2025. The opportunity exists precisely because most brands haven't adapted yet. They're still optimizing for mobile consumption, applying strategies that were relevant five years ago but are increasingly ineffective today.
The future belongs to brands and creators who design for the living room:
Those who adapt now will dominate watch time and cultural mindshare while competitors play catch-up. The shift isn't coming - it's already here. The question isn't whether to adapt, but how quickly you can implement TV-first strategy across your content ecosystem.
The brands winning on YouTube today aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones who recognized the platform shift earliest and rebuilt their approach accordingly. That window is still open, but it's closing rapidly as more organizations recognize this opportunity.
Here is a video our founder made breaking down TV viewership on YouTube even more:
About Owen Creative: We help global brands dominate YouTube by building strategies around platform evolution, not outdated best practices. Our clients have generated over a billion views this year by adapting to shifts like TV viewership before they become common knowledge. To discuss how we can optimize your YouTube strategy for living-room audiences, contact us.