YouTube’s emergence as the world’s leading streaming platform has been emphatically underlined this week by two new pieces of research.
Firstly, the latest edition of Beano Brain’s 100 Coolest Brands Report has named YouTube as Generation Alpha’s (aged 7-14) favourite brand, ahead of rivals like Netflix and Disney. Secondly, Nielsen revealed that the Google-backed platform has become the first streamer in the US to account for more than 10% of TV viewing.
Both findings demonstrate the way in which YouTube’s ad-funded, creator-led model is rapidly usurping more traditional entertainment platforms. The Beano Brain research reinforces recent data from UK media regulator Ofcom, which demonstrated how kids are migrating to YouTube in their droves and “tuning out” of traditional TV.
Meanwhile, the Nielsen figure is further evidence that YouTube is successfully reinventing itself as a preferred option for living room viewing, with the platform’s big screen audience rocketing as a result of increased connected TV penetration.
The trend in favour of YouTube is positive news for digital first content creators, but it hasn’t been lost on legacy TV producers. Increasingly, leading players like ITV Studios, BBC Studios, Fremantle and Banijay are placing long-form programming on YouTube, alongside their expansion into the FAST channel space.
