YouTube is courting creators — and sponsors — with streaming shows

In the ongoing fight for content and talent, YouTube is pitching itself as the connector between the creators and advertisers — and marketing its creators not just as the future of social media, but also of advertising, TV, streaming, and entertainment more broadly.

At the company’s annual advertiser event in New York on Wednesday, YouTube introduced a new slate of exclusive shows coming to the platform, hosted by some big names: a travel show with Trevor Noah, a Met Gala documentary series from podcaster Alex Cooper, a new series from Kareem Rahma, the host of the popular show Subway Takes, and more. The pitch to advertisers: Invest in these YouTube-only series.

On the content creator side, YouTube’s appeal has long been its relatively generous ad revenue split that creators earn through views. But the company has steadily added more and more ways for content creators to make money, like shopping features and a hub for brands to find creators that might be a fit for them. Advertisers are also increasingly dumping money into sponsored videos, where creators can swap out brand sponsors when a campaign is over, essentially creating a billboard that constantly updates.

YouTube accounts for a huge chunk of what people watch: 12.7 percent of all TV viewing, according to Nielsen. It also offers advertisers more than 3 million eligible content creators whose content can serve as an ad space, along with built-in AI tools to help advertisers find those channels. Rahma told The New York Times this week that when he started posting his series on YouTube, the company offered to help him secure sponsors for his new show (and spin up his Emmy campaign). YouTube has tried to make its own original content with celebrities and internet stars in the past, but it has largely flopped (YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has said executives “weren’t good at picking content”). The company seems to have realized that it makes more sense for it to be a platform for video content that creators are already making — and a place to find brands that will bankroll that work.

YouTube has to offer creators something unique to keep them on the platform. Even though YouTube played a major role in the podcast world’s pivot to video and is also the top podcast platform, some creators have jumped ship — especially to Netflix, which is building up its own slate of video podcasts. In December, iHeartRadio brought 15 shows to Netflix, including The Breakfast Club and My Favorite Murder. Netflix also launched its first original podcasts in January: one hosted by comedian Pete Davidson and another with sports commentator and former NFL player Michael Irvin.