Sounds Like YouTube Is Trying To Get Back Into Traditional TV, And I’m Surprised This Hasn’t Happened Already

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Choosing the ideal streaming service can be a daunting task given the abundance of high-quality choices. Deciding on which TV series or movies to watch in 2025 is becoming increasingly challenging. However, if your living room seems to be dominated by one particular viewing option – YouTube – it’s not just your imagination. The world’s leading video platform has confirmed its intentions: it aims to encroach upon traditional TV’s territory. One might wonder, how hasn’t this happened already?

During the NATPE Budapest gathering, YouTube’s executive in charge of Germany and certain regions of Central and Northern Europe, Andreas Briese, made a shocking proposition to the international television industry. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Briese shared this unexpected idea during his presentation.

YouTube can team up with your business to help reach new customers, generate additional income sources, and foster innovation.

It’s clear as day that the executive wasn’t being discreet. This wasn’t just about YouTube creators striking brand deals, but rather networks, television broadcasters, and major TV producers uploading entire episodes and lengthy content straight onto YouTube’s vast, ad-friendly viewership. Briese went on to say:

In the United States, YouTube has emerged as the primary device for viewing content, outpacing competitors like Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu on television platforms. This trend is also prevalent in other regions globally. Remarkably, YouTube now delivers over a billion hours of TV-viewing time every day.

It’s quite logical for production firms to partner with YouTube since more than half the viewing time on YouTube comes from videos longer than 20 minutes. Seems like long-form content is experiencing a comeback, and judging by its popularity, it’s adorning itself with the YouTube brand.

Briese wasn’t only referring to people’s current viewing habits such as streaming old episodes of Top Gear on YouTube instead of Amazon Prime Video or watching uncensored moments of Kitchen Nightmares on Gordon Ramsay’s channel. Instead, he highlighted that traditional TV producers are actively adapting to this trend. For instance, Channel 4 in the UK saw a significant increase by uploading longer videos, which led to a 105% boost in total watch time, a 169% rise in full episode views, and a substantial 78% jump in advertising revenue from YouTube alone.

Paramount and Disney are experimenting with new strategies. For instance, you don’t necessarily need a Paramount+ subscription to watch the full debut of Special Ops: Lioness, as the company made it available on YouTube following its release, aiming to create excitement. Disney took things a step further by releasing the entire first season of Andor prior to its highly praised second season, thereby generating anticipation and encouraging people to subscribe to Disney+. And it paid off.

As a movie-goer and critic, I found Andreas Briese’s candidness particularly noteworthy when he explained why YouTube is stepping away from being a content studio. In his own words, he mentioned:

“YouTube is no longer striving to be a content studio because our focus is shifting towards empowering creators and providing them with the tools they need to succeed.

We weren’t good at picking content.

As a passionate movie lover, I must say, it’s refreshingly honest of YouTube to position itself as a stage where content creators and companies can collaborate. They offer the necessary framework, allowing both parties to generate income. This straightforward proposition carries immense potential in our ever-demanding world for quality content.

It’s about time for this change. For years, YouTube has been gradually taking over television’s territory, starting by ruling mobile devices and then computers. Eventually, it became the standard app on smart TVs. The notion that it would transform into a collaborative partner for networks, rather than just a platform for clips or previews, appears less like a revolution and more like the natural progression of events.

In the near future, it’s possible that your preferred TV series might simultaneously premiere on YouTube along with a video by MrBeast. This trend is already emerging. However, you might want to hold off on canceling your paid cable subscription just yet.

If YouTube continues to act wisely by distributing its ad earnings as promised, it could potentially turn into your preferred “station” on your smart television.

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2025-06-24 20:29