No Idiot Box.
Thoughts on the world's top streaming service. No, not that one.
Youtube has been a mainstay of culture and entertainment for many years now, birthing an entire content ecosystem, shaping entire childhoods, befuddling entire parenthoods.
Yet, there is a distinct (and surprisingly easy) tendency to not quite acknowledge it as a media powerhouse, especially from the legacy media scene, those working in ‘premium’ TV, and well… older folk.
Some of this is generational (see above befuddled parents), combined with a limited understanding of all the -incredibly varied- kind of content that is uploaded and consumed, limited particularly for those who dip in & out only via received/shared links.
Some of this is the result of a traditional media chip, that snuggles on various shoulders.
But some of this, also, stems from the continued hit & miss nature of content consumption on Youtube. The algorithm can be far from perfect, especially if not fed. So those who do not consciously curate their Youtube experience, still see content that varies wildly from well-produced to slapdash, thoughtful to flippant, promotional to authentic, all in the swipe of a carousel. (Active curation as a practice itself can be traced to either having grown up on Youtube, or consciously cutting the cord from TV and relying on Youtube for any and all doses of entertainment/ content.)
Some of this skepticism also comes from the perception of the high percentage of user-generated content or UGC, and a certain kind of creator content in the space of vlogs, reaction videos, commentary, gaming. Worth noting that the biggest names we hear of from the platform are often not in this category, even if they might well have their beginnings in it.
As the CEO of Youtube recently (proudly) stated of creators,
Creators have writers’ rooms, production teams, and business strategies. They’re developing programming that’s not just popular and relevant – it’s breaking boundaries.
Sounds familiar? Yeah, something like that old dinosaur, Television.
Results.
The platform’s wider domination was highlighted again by how it has powered its way, via connected TVs, to be the the overall top streaming service in the U.S., on TV. Yes, ahead of Netflix. This consumption is off the back of connected TVs (CTVs). The number of top creators with a majority of their watchtime coming from TV, has increased more than 400 percent in the last three years.
In Asia, the rise of CTVs is evidence by the recent announcement from Nielsen of a significant expansion of its CTV ad measurement capabilities to include YouTube ads. In fact, APAC is likely the largest consuming region of Youtube content (though across devices), contributing approximately 30% of global views.*
Coming back to user generated content, though- there is still a tendency to paint the entire platform with a ‘UGC’ brush. This is incomplete, and inaccurate. Yes, there are billions of hours of UGC, so in the nearly 700,000 hours of video streamed off the platform each & every minute, there will clearly be a lot of people in their bedrooms with their selfie-cams on. But, while they might be part of the original platform ethos, I don’t believe they quite define the platform and its successes.
For starters, worth noting that music/music-related is usually the highest performing category on the platform. (The No.1 Youtube channel for some years now has been India’s T-Series, a music label). The top five channels by hours watched (as of March 2024) are all either music or kids content*. A large driver is also derived content, which may have had its original home or purpose elsewhere (an animated show, a music video, a sitcom etc).
At the same time, a huge amount of Youtube viewing is driven by a small number of channels. Estimates vary, but the top 1% (or Top 100 channels) drive anywhere from 30-40% of watch time, maybe more.
Independent.
Brute numbers aside, there is a whole swathe of content, channels & personalities (yes, creators) who make some of the most-watched (and most shiny) shows on the platform. The point I am making here is that these are far from ‘merely’ UGC. Think Hot Ones, Mr Beast, Rhett & Link, Michelle Khare, Try Guys^, Zach King, Valkyrae. They all might have varying production values, but can hardly be called quick & easy ‘UGC’.
Link Neal from Good Mythical Morning recently said something I find absolutely spot-on:
We’re not making user generated content. We’re making independent television.
The thing is, YouTube is treated both as a platform and a genre. This is both amazing and annoying, because it shows the width of its influence but can do it a disservice for the context it might be spoken in. People fall into the perception trap of referring to “youtube content”.
Is there any such thing?
“[We are] making something that has a reliable point of contact in the same way that a TV show is, it’s like, hey, this thing comes out at the same time every single day. It’s very reliable programming. You can depend on it, you can incorporate it into your routine, you know”.
This actually leads to another entire black hole of “what is ‘Youtube content’, anyway?” and “is a typical TV show on youtube considered a TV show or a Youtube show?”.
Those lines are blurring, and exploring the aesthetics and storytelling that ‘make’ a Youtube show, deserves another post in itself.
*
Maybe the last word here should go to Neil Mohan, the CEO of Youtube. This, from his strong call for the Emmys to recognise Youtube content.
Creators are driving cultural trends and bringing in huge audiences, but they’re also doing something even more important. They’re leading us into the future of entertainment and pushing the industry forward.
Lead on, then. We’re watching.