YouTube has begun taking huge steps in an ongoing effort to woo the television-viewing public. Between their new partnership with the NFL and launching new creative content tools for creators like you. Last year, fans streamed an astounding 350 million hours of NFL content on the streaming platforms. YouTube was the biggest beneficiary of interest in the NFL’s Super Bowl LIX Flag Football Game, which drew 97M earned views. They grossed more than 6 million live views for the event!
YouTube just announced a series of new tools to improve subscriber engagement. Creators such as Michelle Khare with her work on “Challenge Accepted” and Rhett & Link with “Good Mythical Morning” have the ability to create content in a more familiar format of “seasons” and “episodes”. This collaborative effort is focused on producing a more bingeable, television-screen optimized viewing experience.
It will make its debut in the summer of 2023 as a U.S. pilot program. It will bring together hundreds of independent creators and let them arrange their content into an attractive, cohesive, bingeable viewing experience. This action demonstrates YouTube’s increasing desire to challenge for advertising dollars once controlled mainly by TV networks.
YouTube first unveiled these features at last September’s Made On YouTube summit. They highlighted their effort to support creator innovation. Neal Mohan, the company’s new CEO, wants investors to focus on those shifting revenue patterns. He highlighted that the number of creators earning more than half their income from TV screens has increased more than 30% against last year.
The platform has had a huge effect on the NFL’s new world of live broadcasters. For the first time ever, it provides YouTube TV subscribers within the U.S. access to live games. This partnership adds more than a little muscle to YouTube’s sports programming. It further solidifies the platform’s position as a key player in the live sports broadcast space.
In fact, YouTube just recently surpassed a billion monthly active podcast users. This exceptional audience provides it with a deep competitive moat as the platform continues to develop its content ecosystem. These new tools are intended to make existing online content more accessible. They improve the experience for those watching on larger screens.