BBC signs momentous deal with YouTube in bid to attract younger viewers
In another sign that YouTube is the main threat to traditional broadcasters and streaming companies, the BBC has said, if you can’t beat them, join them.
In a bid to attract younger audiences, the BBC has signed a momentous deal with YouTube, committing to creating programming for the online video platform.
The BBC currently uses YouTube as primarily a promotional arm, posting trailers and clips, but under the agreement, will increase the number of its channels to 50.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.It will make specific content for YouTube, with the expectation that it will focus on reaching younger audiences that may not come to the BBC through broadcast TV or even its own streaming platform.
That programming will also be made available on BBC iPlayer, for those inside the UK (iPlayer is geoblocked for international audiences) and BBC Sounds at the same time as YouTube. The content will not carry ads if watched on YouTube inside the UK, but it will in international territories.
The British public broadcaster said the strategy behind the deal was to ensure its work was providing “value for all”.
The agreement comes as YouTube has become a formidable force in the viewing space, and is now the main competitor to broadcast TV and streaming companies. Consumers are also increasingly watching YouTube on TV sets, and not just on mobile devices or computers.
In December, YouTube overtook the BBC for the first time in the UK in audience share, with 52 million monthly viewers compared to the BBC’s 50.9 million.
Around the world, YouTube has 2.7 billion monthly users. Netflix, the strongest global streaming service, has 325 million. For another comparison point, MrBeast, a popular YouTube personality, as 451 million subscribers on his main channel.
In the US, YouTube has been the dominant media brand on TV sets for a number of years, and has only increased its lead. In November, YouTube accounted for 12.9 per cent of all viewing while Disney (which includes its umbrella of brands such as Disney+, ESPN, broadcast channel ABC and more) was second with 10.5 per cent.
It’s widely expected that Netflix will frame YouTube as the dominant player in the streaming entertainment space in any upcoming anti-competition reviews concerning its proposal to buy Warner Bros.
In Australia, Netflix remained marginally ahead of YouTube with a 21.3 per cent share of minutes viewed to the Google-owned video service’s 20.5 per cent, in the three months to September.
The BBC YouTube deal is the most high-profile in a shifting sector as traditional media brands contend with fracturing audiences, especially Gen Alpha and Gen Z, who do not have baked-in behaviours of turning to broadcast or even streaming TV.
French commercial broadcaster TF1 last year signed a deal with Netflix to carry linear TV on the streamer’s platform.
Disney also recently announced it would introduce short-form vertical videos, similar to TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, on its streaming service, Disney+, in a bid to increase daily engagement numbers.
At the time, Disney executive Erin Teague told Deadline that “the most important thing is to meet people where they are … this is what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are expecting. They are not necessarily thinking about sitting down, watching a long-form, two-and-a-half hour piece on content on their phones”.
BBC director-general Tim Davie said in a statement, “It’s essential that everyone gets value from the BBC, and this groundbreaking partnership will help us connect with audiences in new way.”
