A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
YouTube占美国电视百分之十五点八，好莱坞开始反击
YouTube Takes 15.8% of US TV Viewing as Hollywood Fights Back
About this story
YouTube now captures 15.8% of all US TV viewing, double its 2023 level, forcing Netflix and legacy studios to adapt their strategies. HSK 4 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 2 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 以为、调查、显示 and walks through 6 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Many people still think that when Americans watch TV, they either open Netflix or turn on one of the major TV networks.
But an August viewership survey shows that the largest share of American TV screens belongs to YouTube.
It accounts for 15.8% of all TV viewing time, double its level at the start of 2023.
This share is roughly equal to the combined total of Netflix plus the streaming platforms of Disney, Paramount, and Warner.
Near Hollywood, in a place called Burbank, a company called Smosh illustrates this change well.
Its boss, Alessandra Catanese, has a very large studio, and its channels have tens of millions of followers combined.
In three years, revenue has grown several times over, and the team has grown from a small group to 100 people.
Where do the money and people come from?
Catanese's answer is very direct.
She says that layoffs at Paramount, Disney, and Netflix are like a draft for us.
People unwanted by big companies quickly become her team.
There are also creators who have built businesses on their own, such as Mark Fischbach, who has over 40 million followers on YouTube.
He self-financed a horror film, and with fans' support, the box office was quite good.
He calls YouTube a thousand-pound monster squatting on everyone's shoulders.
Meaning that no matter how big you are, you can't escape it.
Last year, YouTube's advertising and subscription revenue exceeded $60 billion, more than Netflix's $45 billion.
Its way of splitting revenue is also very simple: YouTube takes nearly half of advertising and channel subscription income.
Moreover, it usually doesn't pay in advance; creators have to produce the content first.
This forces competitors to change their tactics: Netflix has started making vertical short videos and is preparing to directly sign creators with money.
YouTube's boss, Neal Mohan, when asked about people poaching his creators, said it made him a bit flattered.
Netflix's retired founder, Reed Hastings, put it more bluntly.
He compared YouTube to television in the 1950s and 1960s, and Netflix to movies.
His conclusion is that it's very hard to beat YouTube on YouTube's turf.
Other platforms are also making moves: TikTok and Tubi have started making long-form series, and Meta has brought Instagram's long videos to smart TVs.
But catching up is not cheap: the new company formed by the merger of Paramount and Warner carries over $80 billion in debt.
This company will soon release its first earnings report after the merger.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 3. Often implies a mistaken belief. Used in the script: 很多人还以为 (many people still think).
HSK 3. Can be a noun or verb. Common collocations: 收视调查 (viewership survey), 进行调查 (conduct an investigation).
HSK 3. Used to present data or results. In the script: 调查显示 (the survey shows).
HSK 3. Used with percentages: 占百分之十五 (account for 15%). Also 占用 (occupy).
HSK 3. More formal than 看. Common in media: 观看时间 (viewing time).
HSK 3. Can be a verb or noun. In the script: 很能说明这种变化 (illustrates this change well).
HSK 3. Common in financial contexts: 广告收入 (advertising revenue).
HSK 3. Can be an adjective or adverb. In the script: 回答很直接 (the answer is very direct).
HSK 3. Often used in business contexts: 市场份额 (market share). In the script: 份额最大 (largest share).
HSK 3. Used for combined totals. In the script: 几家平台的总和 (the sum of several platforms).
HSK 3. A verb-object compound: 裁 (cut) + 员 (staff). Common in business news.
HSK 3. Loanword from English 'fans'. Used for social media followers.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法不是……就是……
A paired construction meaning 'either... or...', used to present two alternatives.
很多人还以为，美国人看电视不是打开Netflix，就是打开几家大电视台。
比……还/更……
Comparative structure meaning 'even more... than...'.
去年YouTube的广告和订阅收入超过六百亿美元，比Netflix的四百五十亿还多。
把……叫作/比作……
The 把 construction with verbs like 叫作 (call) or 比作 (compare to), meaning 'to call/compare A as B'.
他把YouTube叫作蹲在所有人肩膀上的千斤巨兽。
他把YouTube比作五六十年代的电视，把Netflix比作电影。
从……变成……
Indicates a transformation from one state to another.
团队也从一个小组变成了一百人。
被问到……
Passive construction with 被, meaning 'was asked about...'.
YouTube的老板尼尔·莫汉被问到有人挖他的创作者，说这让他有点受宠若惊。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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