Key Takeaway
Georgia’s audience is not abandoning television in one movement; it is watching video on different screens, at different times and under different rules. In the 2024 national survey, social media and messaging apps were the main news source for 51% of the population, compared with 44% for television. Sixty percent had watched a YouTube video in the previous 30 days. Our weighted calculation from the 2025 survey finds near parity among news followers: about 49% primarily use television and 48% social networks. The average hides a generational divide: among 18–34-year-olds, roughly 80% rely mainly on social networks and 17% on television; among people aged 55+, the pattern reverses to approximately 82% television and 16% social networks.
The Shift Is About Control, Not Only Screens
The phrase “from television to YouTube” suggests a clean substitution. The real change concerns distribution, timing and user control. Linear television follows a schedule; YouTube allows the viewer to choose the topic, creator, length and moment. Television content still reaches people, but increasingly as a YouTube upload, a Facebook clip or a short video discovered in a feed.
The same person may watch a television bulletin in the evening, an interview replay on YouTube the next morning and short excerpts during the day. Adding the audiences of individual platforms therefore overstates unique reach. The central change is not the disappearance of the screen but the fragmentation of attention.
The Numbers
| Indicator | Period | Value | Unit | Status / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social media and messaging as main news source | 2024 | 51 | % | CRRC/IREX reported result |
| Television as main news source | 2024 | 44 | % | CRRC/IREX reported result |
| Watched YouTube in previous 30 days | 2024 | 60 | % | CRRC/IREX reported result |
| TV as primary medium among news followers | 2025 | 49.2 | % | BTUAI weighted calculation from CRRC microdata |
| Social networks as primary medium among news followers | 2025 | 48.5 | % | BTUAI weighted calculation from CRRC microdata |
The two surveys differ in wording, sampling and fieldwork mode, so the figures indicate direction rather than a perfectly comparable time series. The 2025 shares exclude non-followers, refusals and “do not know” responses.
Age Divides the Market
| Age | Television | Social networks | Social-network advantage | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–34 | 16.9% | 80.9% | +64.0 pp | Digital dominance |
| 35–54 | 42.3% | 54.8% | +12.5 pp | Hybrid audience |
| 55+ | 82.1% | 16.1% | −66.0 pp | Television dominance |
Source: BTUAI weighted calculation using the 2025 CRRC survey microdata (2,311 interviews), among respondents who follow news.
Place Matters Too
| Settlement | Television | Social networks | Leading medium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tbilisi | 38.2% | 57.8% | Social networks +19.6 pp |
| Other urban | 47.6% | 50.6% | Near parity |
| Rural | 58.5% | 40.1% | Television +18.4 pp |
A national campaign therefore needs different media weights by age and settlement. Television remains highly valuable for older and rural audiences. YouTube and social video are essential for younger and Tbilisi audiences. The 35–54 group is a genuinely hybrid market.
YouTube Is Both a Rival and a Distributor
In 2024, 60% of the public had watched YouTube during the previous month, and YouTube was the second most-used social platform after Facebook, reaching 56% among platform users. Seventy-seven percent of consumed YouTube content was in Georgian. Yet news was not the dominant genre: films and TV drama, entertainment, sports, education and music ranked ahead. Broadcasters therefore need more than unchanged programme uploads: a full episode for the archive, an 8–15 minute thematic video for search and a 30–90 second clip for discovery.
Implications for Advertisers and Media Companies
- Use television for older and rural reach, and YouTube/social video for younger and urban reach.
- Measure unique digital viewers, watch minutes, completion, search discovery and conversion alongside TV ratings.
- Do not count the same person reached on TV and YouTube as two unique people; estimate combined reach.
- Adapt creative to the platform instead of automatically moving a 30-second TV spot online.
- Allocate budget according to audience and geography, not institutional habit.
BTUAI Assessment
Television is not disappearing; its monopoly over video is. Georgia’s audience is splitting across linear broadcasting, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and other channels. Television retains scale, routine and strength among older viewers. YouTube offers choice, search, long content life and access to younger audiences. The winning media company will produce one editorial or entertainment asset differently for each screen and measure the total audience as one system.
Key Findings
- Social and messaging platforms led television as the main news source in 2024, 51% to 44%.
- YouTube reached 60% of the public within 30 days; 77% of viewed content was Georgian-language.
- The 2025 survey shows near parity between TV and social networks overall, but extreme age differences.
- Social networks lead in Tbilisi, while television leads in rural Georgia.
- The strategic answer is multi-platform production and de-duplicated audience measurement.
Data, Sources and Authorship
The analysis uses the CRRC-Georgia/IREX 2024 Georgia Media Consumption Survey, the CRRC/MDF 2025 Survey on Media Consumption and Disinformation, DataReportal’s Digital 2025: Georgia, and the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025. Prepared by the academic team of Business and Technology University and the BTUAI Research Team, Tbilisi, Georgia.