Google recently claimed that YouTube has become bigger than any U.S. cable network, with mobile viewing sessions increasing 50 percent year-over-year, making the mobile video space difficult for other mobile streaming platforms but not impossible.

During Google?s earnings report call, the digital brand emphasized the success of its video platform, as the number of YouTube celebrities making over six figures is growing 50 percent year-over-year due to an increase in ad spend and shift in consumer behavior. As the YouTube experience and operation evolves into almost another network, the future is still uncertain as mobile video viewing is on the rise for all and numerous mobile streaming services from networks and subscription services are also growing. 

?YouTube has done a great job creating stars,? said Mitchell Reichgut, CEO of NYC-based Jun Group. ?As their careers mature, however, those relationships will become more complicated. 

?A rumored ad-free, paid premium product will have to compete with new subscription services from major broadcast networks as well similar products from Spotify, Apple, and others,? he said. ?It should be fascinating to watch.?

Mobile video viewing is growing across all channels, as the technology provides a more intimate viewing experience that can be accessed at any time, anywhere. This format of on-demand viewing is a huge draw for users and is a staple in consumer behavior, seen in Google's results with mobile video watch time increasing 100 percent from last year for YouTube. 

YouTube cleared a pathway for this format of viewing, with its launch in 2005 and users have now come to expect on-demand viewing for mobile and desktop. As mobile video grows at such a rapid rate for the platform, its influence remains significant. 

Consumers are now treating the mobile YouTube experience similar to television viewing. Many users are accessing its homepage to find out what is available to watch and the number of mobile homepage views is rising. 

Google reported during the earnings call July  that it has a greater reach of demographics spanning ages 18 to 49 than any other U.S. cable network . These users are coming to YouTube to watch user-generated content the same way they would watch a network created series, but also to view professional non-user generated content. 

However, mobile viewing is increasing for all platforms and not only YouTube ? had its mobile application not been gaining in views this would be detrimental to the service. Google will need to be careful in securing its relationships with viewers and users, as more subscription services are offering ad-free viewing, but YouTube?s advertising is growing. 

Advertisers and content creators alike will have to focus on creating content that coincides with the platform experience. 

?Apps and channels will become one and the same and viewers will choose which to have on their TVs and mobile devices,? said Michael Tuminello, director of product interactive at Innovid, New York. ?Experiences as part of the video will be commonplace and broadly standardized on the backend to work across different devices. 

?Video experiences will be more tailored to the user behavior associated with specific devices, both in the content delivered and the additional interactivity on offer,? he said.  ?For example at home on the weekend you might see a longer ad inviting you to explore a potential travel destination in depth, whereas during your commute you will get a very short ad pushing a breakfast special at a local coffee shop. ?

As technology on mobile devices develops further, content viewing is growing. Users are more inclined to use and engage on these devices due to a more easy and seamless experience. 

A growing number of networks are providing services that allow consumers to get away from being stuck in a cable provider contract. Showtime, HBO and Netflix are all challenging cable service providers with these new standalone streaming services through mobile apps, and consumers are able to pick and choose their consuming experience (see more). 

YouTube will may have more competition as these services become more a fixture in the content industry. Including Amazon, as it attempted to dominate the mobile streaming sector by producing and acquiring original films for early distribution on its Amazon Prime Instant Video platform (see more).

?Mobile video is growing in general,? Mr. Tuminello said. ?Publishers have always suffered from a shortage of inventory and if you can sell across different devices you open up new inventory, so they are well incentivized to enable video delivery on mobile devices.   

?Also, clearly consumer video viewing is on the rise on mobile devices, it is a natural fit for these devices as  screens get bigger, battery life gets longer, the network becomes more capable and affordable, and more and more mobile?ready content is available,? he said. ?YouTube itself has been successful in selling new content and celebrities, PewDiePie, etc, to younger audiences that are likely to be in front of a phone far more often than they are in front of a TV.  

?They clearly are well-equipped to overcome the technical challenges of delivering and monetizing video content across screens so it is not surprising to see them as an early leader in the space, but much more mobile-ready video content will be available from many different providers in the upcoming months and years.?