How YouTube Has Positioned Itself to Compete with Netflix

YouTube has had quite the journey. With origins in long-form content, the platform soon pivoted its dedication to short-form with the launch— and shortly-after, success— of YouTube Shorts. However, it has since reverted back to its old ways, now proving to be a fierce competitor of Netflix’s, with a purposeful publishing push of episodic content. 

This shift has positioned the platform as a formidable player in the television landscape, encouraging streaming and episodic content, with a view to turn creators into hosts of their very own short series and shows. Given the recent increase in YouTube on TV screens, the call for releasing long-form YouTube content has never been louder. With 100M users in the US alone watching YouTube through their TV screens, the blending of the two audiences is well underway, pushing creators to level up their strategies to suit this new cohort. Turning to the creation of episodic content ensures they now appeal to the TV-watchers among their audience, as well as the usual long-form-loving fans. 

Take Jubilee’s Middle Ground, for example. The channel caters to TV watchers by posting lengthy, high-quality episodic content mirroring that of any SVOD show, just on a social media platform.

How has YouTube catered to the push of episodic content?

The long-form YouTube content push is at the forefront of the platform’s strategy as of late, particularly with the scheduled release of ‘Seasons’, a feature that allows creators to break their content up into different seasons and videos. This feature was designed to not only help viewers navigate a creator’s content, but also to align with the push into the living room.

With the launch of Seasons this year, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, Johanna Voolich has announced that the platform will be “making other improvements to the TV experience with immersive content that plays directly from a creator’s channel, streamlined subscription offers, and easier access to links in descriptions”. She also noted the 30% year-over-year increase in the number of creators making a majority of their revenue on TV screens, as a strong contender for the TV-fuelled, and therefore long-form YouTube content, push.

Going hand-in-hand with Seasons, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV, the push for long-form YouTube content push has positively impacted the platform’s running in the streaming wars. If viewed purely from a viewing time perspective, YouTube dominates US TV and smartphone streaming. 

What impact does this TV push have on the bigger picture?

Not every creator will end up with an empire like Mr. Beast’s, but what if there’s another way to achieve global success?

Aside from their usual revenue generation through brand sponsorship, ad content e.t.c., creators are now being approached by content studios looking to help them monetise existing content and/or produce original series for social or connected TV. Adam Moran, better known as BeardMeatsFood, oftentimes recruits the help of a production team to up the quality of his content and further his reach.

Studios like London Alley are looking to develop long-form YouTube content, seeking to fill a space for “indie television” on the platform. The studio’s president, Ryan Horrigan, hopes that by producing long-form episodic content with creators boasting established audiences, creators and brands can go beyond the traditional model of selling shows to streaming platforms like Netflix. Geared up to launch an 8-episode sports comedy show featuring a dozen comedy creators that draw in 50 million followers combined, London Alley is turning to YouTube to garner success. 

Similarly, digital content studio, Mirage Digital, is leveraging YouTube creators for another content syndication-like model. By acting as an extension of a popular creator’s team, studios can take a creator’s existing content and turn it into episodic formats fit for distribution to multiple platforms. Not only is this beneficial for creators expanding their reach, but also for studios to tap into new audiences, as well as pre-existing ones in a different way/space. 

However, for this partnership to work, it’s important that production studios and teams understand the following.

How can production teams cater to long-form YouTube content?

When approaching YouTube creators to leverage their content, it’s important that studios see their contribution as collaborative, rather than authoritative. Many popular creators have spent years building their empires on the platform, driven by authenticity, connection, and understanding of their fans. For studios to come along and take over, would be detrimental to future opportunities.

Studios like Mirage Digital can ensure licensing, selling, and platform distribution are all taken care of, while the creator focuses on content ideation and maintaining their authentic flair. London Alley’s Horrigan emphasises just how evergreen this strategy really is, by saying “if we’re partnering with you, we’re going to put your product in the show. We’re probably going to make shoulder content for you and your socials — and then, if the show’s a hit, you’re going to be in the show in perpetuity”. The Creative Director of Sociallyin, Nisha Kashyap, backs this up by revealing that more and more creators are moving to this “recurring content model rather than one-off posts”, as brand ambassadorships continue to rise. 

YouTube’s shift toward Netflix-like, episodic content is certainly paying off. While creators outsource larger production companies to up the reach and quality of their content and future-proof strategies, the platform continues to work hand-in-hand with their efforts, living up to its newly-bestowed title as king of the underlying streaming wars that are constantly taking place. 

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