In the ongoing battle for content and talent, YouTube is positioning itself as the connector between creators and advertisers — and marketing its creators as the future of not only social media, but advertising, TV, streaming and entertainment more broadly.
At the company’s annual advertiser event in New York on Wednesday, YouTube introduced a new series of special shows coming to the platform, hosted by some big names: a travel show with Trevor Noah, a Met Gala documentary series from podcaster Alex Cooper, a new series from the popular show’s host Kareem Rahma. takes the subway, and more. Proposition for advertisers: Invest in these YouTube-only series.
On the content creator side, the appeal of YouTube has long been the relatively generous ad revenue split that creators earn through views. But the company has steadily added more ways for content creators to make money, like shopping features and a hub for brands to find creators who might be a good fit for them. Advertisers are also increasingly investing money in sponsored videos, where creators can swap brand sponsors when a campaign ends, essentially creating a billboard that’s constantly updated.
According to Nielsen, a large share of what people watch is on YouTube: 12.7 percent of total TV viewing. It also offers advertisers more than 3 million eligible content creators whose content can serve as ad space, as well as built-in AI tools to help advertisers find the channels they need. Rahma told the new York Times When he began posting his series to YouTube this week, the company offered to help him secure sponsors for his new show (and further his Emmy campaign). YouTube has tried to create its own original content with celebrities and Internet stars in the past, but it has largely flopped (YouTube CEO Neil Mohan has said that executives “were not good at choosing content”). It seems the company has realized that it makes more sense to be a platform for the video content that creators are already creating — and a place to find brands that will finance that work.
YouTube needs to offer something unique to keep creators on the platform. Even though YouTube has played a major role in moving the podcast world toward video and is also the top podcast platform, some creators have turned specifically to Netflix, creating their own catalog of video podcasts. In December, iHeartRadio brought 15 shows to Netflix, including breakfast club And My favorite murder. Netflix also launched its first original podcasts in January: one hosted by comedian Pete Davidson and another with sports commentator and former NFL player Michael Irvin.
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