YouTube in pole position for 2025’s wild ride

By Derek Dyson 31-01-2025

As the threats and opportunities presented by YouTube become ever more apparent, what should legacy television do to adapt?

I don’t think anyone who knows me would describe me as backwards in coming forward, but as a digital-first exec working in the heady world of television, it has been hard to get my bearings -and meetings – at some industry events. While the busy broadcast sages buzz around conference centres with that sense of familiarity and surety in their mission, I’ve frequently found myself unsure of my place there. You might even call it Imposter Syndrome.

I’ve led the Radar digital business for two years and was driving digital content initiatives within the WTFN Group for some time before we formally launched a separate brand. Radar grew swiftly, and early partners saw significant increases in revenues, but trying to grab attention at these events alongside my producer and distributor colleagues at WTFN and Fred Media, frequently with exciting new series such as Bondi Vet or Emergency to talk about, was always a challenge.

Bondi Vet is produced by WTFN Entertainment

But at Mipcom 2024, all that changed. My schedule filled effortlessly: people wanted to meet and know more about how we were monetising content in different ways. Digital had finally stepped out of the shadows of the more glamorous linear broadcasters and global streaming platforms.

There are numerous reasons for this change, but I believe the catalyst for the sudden shift is YouTube coming of age. In August 2024, YouTube accounted for more than 10% of all TV viewership in the US, ahead of Netflix (8.4%), Prime Video (3.4%), Hulu (2.7%) and Disney+ (2.1%) – and was the first streamer ever to exceed that figure. And yes, that’s correct. According to Neilsen, YouTube must now be considered a streamer. Rightly so, in my opinion. More and more people are watching YouTube on their television (over 50% in the US at last count). YouTube is television.

Content owners and creators not already working with YouTube quickly woke up to the opportunity – especially considering the challenges of getting new content commissioned in many key TV markets. Fast forward a couple of months and we are underway in an exciting 2025 that will certainly see more changes than last year, with YouTube driving a whole new world of demand for digital.

So here are some thoughts and predictions for the year ahead…

Distributors go all out for digital dollars
Just as Radar grew out of Fred Media, others will begin to follow suit, taking direct control of their IP on digital platforms. Cineflix made this move in 2024, and producer/distributor Woodcut Media recently launched a trio of channels on YouTube. With the right IP and teams that understand digital channel creation and management, distributors will prioritise monetising these rights themselves.

Traditional TV producers lean into digital for survival

In the face of fewer commissions and increasing digital opportunities, TV producers will increasingly go digital-first to keep their businesses afloat. This will require new ways of working and leaning into a digital-focused mindset, but the rewards are there. YouTube paid creators $72bn in 2024, while Facebook spent $2bn in this way.

Broadcasters seek greater relevance with YouTube partnerships
Recognising that YouTube is no longer the enemy – nor the preserve of niche user-generated content and clips of cats doing hilarious things – major broadcasters around the world will follow the UK’s Channel 4, BBC and ITV and strike inventory deals. YouTube will become a ‘frenemy’, whereby broadcasters can allow fans constant access to their favourite content – clips as well as full seasons – and find new relevance for key programme brands amongst younger audiences.

Successful YouTube-first creators will increasingly find lucrative new homes
Following popular YouTubers like Mr Beast and The Sidemen taking their unique content to Prime Video and Netflix in multi-million-dollar deals, everyone is looking for the next big YouTube creator to shake up their content and bring in new subscribers. Another example is the YouTube show Hot Ones, which pocketed BuzzFeed $82.5m in December when it sold to an investment group that included George Soros. What will be next?

Celebrities take on the content creators
As once-unknown content creators continue to earn new followers – and big money – we’ll see celebrities increasingly flock to video platforms to compete, stay relevant and engage directly with their fans – and they will be seeking new ideas and formats to do so.

All change in the Metaverse! 
Meta is keen to challenge YouTube head-on this year, lowering the bar for people to earn and staving off the existential threat of Facebook’s ageing user base. But I wonder if recent developments, such as Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement about rolling back on content moderation, will help these objectives. I worry it may have the opposite effect. More under the radar, Facebook continues to evolve its monetisation methods and policies, following the platform’s switch from CPM-based advertising revenue to “engagement” based revenue, which left creators and multi-channel networks (MCNs), including Radar, scrambling in 2024. Going forward, content published on Facebook will need to be manifestly different to what is offered elsewhere to encourage people to make the jump.

Also, keep your eyes on ‘the gram’ this year! There are rumours that Instagram creators may soon be able to monetise their content via advertising.

YouTube Originals?
When TikTok faced a possible shutdown in the US this month, shares in Snap and Meta immediately increased – but recent changes at both will probably leave creators and IP owners with some uncertainty in the short to mid-term. Not so with YouTube, which will double down on its incredible 2024 and continue to set the gold standard for opportunity in the digital world. I believe that it will also pull further away from Netflix and the other global streamers, and we may even see it have its own House of Cards moment, with the commissioning of some game-changing original premium content.