The Business of YouTube

A weekly strategic lens for senior leaders into how YouTube is reshaping the business of technology, sports, music, entertainment, and culture.

Welcome!
To your favourite newsletter, The Business of YouTube, brought to you by Paola Marinone and Bengü Atamer, founders of BuzzMyVideos and previously at YouTube and Google. We are bringing our exclusive insights from 20 years of experience leading strategy at YouTube and Google.

The BBC-YouTube “Landmark” Deal:

A Pivot or a Pay-off?

Last week, headlines across the media trade press hailed a "landmark" partnership between the BBC and YouTube. The deal, which includes the launch of up to 50 new channels, bespoke "YouTube-first" content, and a creator training program, is being percieved as a tectonic shift for the 100-year-old broadcaster.

But for senior leaders in publishing and rights management, the real story isn't that the BBC is becoming YouTube first. The story is that they have already conquered it.

This week we wanted to deep dive into the numbers and see where BBC content and IP stands on YouTube; deal or no deal :)

The "Sub-Zero" Myth

There is a prevailing narrative that legacy broadcasters are "losing" to YouTube.

While recent BARB data shows YouTube’s monthly UK reach (51.9M) narrowly surpassing the BBC’s (50.8M) for the first time, looking at the BBC’s YouTube footprint through a global lens reveals a different reality.

The BBC isn't just a guest on the platform; it is one of its most dominant landlords.

Across its sprawling network of entities, from Public Service news to the commercial powerhouse of BBC Studios, the corporation has already built an ecosystem that dwarfs most digital-native publishers.

Table 1: The Scale of the "Existing" Empire

Based on current 2026 data and historical consolidated reach.

Not a Big Step, but a Natural Extension

The "bespoke content" deal, starting with the Winter Olympics, is essentially the BBC moving from curation to creation. 

For years, the BBC used YouTube as a marketing funnel to drive traffic to iPlayer. Now, they are acknowledging that for Gen Z and Alpha, the platform is the destination, not the doorstep.

Our analysis of the BBC's current YouTube portfolio shows that the "Top 10" channels already function as specialized niche broadcasters.

Table 2: The Power Players (Top 10 UK-Owned/Operated)

Strategic Insights from us:

For other publishers and rights owners, the BBC’s "new" deal offers three critical lessons:

1. The Hybrid Funding Model: In the UK, this content remains ad-free to satisfy the Public Service mandate. Globally, it is fully monetized. The BBC is aiming to use YouTube as a global "subsidy" for its domestic mission. Nothing new though!

2. Archive as an Asset: THIS HAD TO BE DONE! New channels like Deepwatch (documentaries) and The Epic Facts (children's) aren't always filming new scenes; This is more like "YouTube-ifying" the world’s greatest archive. They are taking high-quality long-form IP and making it high retention generation. If you want to chat all things Archive, let’s chat.

3. Industrializing the Creator Skillset: WE LOVE THIS! This is the area which we believe this deal is adding a lot of value to the industry and a wakeup call for many film schools and institutions that there needs to be a structured YouTube or digital first training already for the new generations. By training 150 media professionals in "YouTube-first" production through the National Film and Television School, the BBC is admitting that traditional TV production and YouTube production are different crafts. Which is correct; better late then never!

The Verdict

The partnership with YouTube isn't the "white flag" of a dying broadcaster. With 33 billion views already in the bank for its public service content alone, the BBC isn't just entering the game, it's finally deciding to own the stadium.

Further reading from LinkedIn:

• Check the comments of Bengu’s recent LinkedIn post to get some historical insights from insiders from BBC and YouTube who has done similar deals with YT a decade ago.

• Nick Meecham from SportsPro on his LinkedIn has some good analysis as well.

Want to discuss how to shape your collaboration strategy, talk to us.

Watch the latest The Business of YouTube Podcast

Nick Bourne, Chief Strategy Officer at ATP Media, has seen the Video Space evolution from the very beginning. He went from digital to traditional and brought a fresh look at it, by knowing by heart the data, the commercial opportunity and the content.

Boost Your Long-Form YouTube Video (On the House) 

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