YouTube Pitches 20-Minute Shows to Advertisers as Netflix Expands Sports Into 15 New Markets
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · May 17
YouTube Pitches 20-Minute Shows to Advertisers as Netflix Expands Sports Into 15 New Markets
5 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 17
YouTube used its ad presentations to package creator-led programming as TV-style “shows,” selling direct ad slots in titles such as Kareem Rahma’s new 20-minute series and Alex Cooper projects.
That shift is aimed at pulling TV ad budgets onto YouTube and lifting rates for selected programs, even though the platform is not funding originals and still struggles to drive audiences to specific shows.
Rahma’s Keep the Meter Running illustrates the gap: its first two episodes drew about 60,000 combined views, versus nearly 40 million views for the first four episodes of Netflix’s latest Bridgerton season.
Netflix, meanwhile, devoted much of its pitch to sports, adding to its NFL deal, highlighting baseball and other live events, and expanding its advertising business to 15 new markets.
The company still says it wants only major events, but its move from two NFL games to five this year suggests a broader sports push as ad growth makes bigger rights spending increasingly likely.
Netflix is betting big on live sports for ads, but will fans pay for games they once watched for free?
Will YouTube's new 'TV shows' create a new class of digital stars, leaving smaller creators struggling to compete?
Are streaming giants secretly rebuilding the expensive cable bundle that viewers originally abandoned?