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.

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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.

Glasto Top of the YouTube Pyramid | A Breakdown

Every summer, Glastonbury transforms Somerset fields into a cultural landmark. A beacon of shared experience for music lovers worldwide. A generational touchpoint. And somehow, it manages to grow bigger, louder, and more relevant each year, even for those who’ve never set foot on Worthy Farm.

That’s where BBC Music’s YouTube channel comes in. BBC Music are the ones privileged to have the rights to distribute the music on their YouTube channel.

Their YouTube channel and uploads have allowed Glasto to transcend the Worthy Farm fields. While the live moments unfold in the fields, BBC Music extends that evergreen experience onto screens, creating a second life for Glasto content. It’s smart. It’s emotional. And it’s a great example of how a rights-holder can build something lasting around a cultural event.

So how exactly do they make it work?

Let's talk numbers (and it's impressive!)

Before diving into their strategy, here are the headline stats that show how BBC Music ranks against other platforms in music.

Whilst BBC Music have the lowest subscribers, they significantly outperform the competition when it comes to 30 day views. Vevo has 5x the subscribers yet BBC Music outperform them 38x for 30 day views! The right rights are key…

1. Playlist a story 📚

One of BBC Music’s smartest moves is how they organise Glastonbury content into playlists. But not in a traditional way just to organise and tidy up content, BBC Music view the playlists as another opportunity to tell a story.

Each year, performances are grouped by genre, mood, and cultural theme. Whether it’s “hidden gems” or “iconic moments,” these playlists help fans navigate Glastonbury through a personal lens.

It also makes discovery easy, for both returning viewers and casual festival browsers. In a sea of content, a well-thought-out playlist can be the gateway into a full-on binge.

Key Takeaway: Organise content in ways that reflect how fans think, feel, and search. A great playlist can tell a story.

2. The emotional rollercoaster 🎢

Glastonbury artists sets typically last 90-minutes, yet not everyone will want to relive a full set online, something BBC Music has recognised. Instead, they pull out the emotional peaks from sets and the moments that moved fans at Worthy Farm. Knowing these moments will resonate with audiences at home too.

That’s the power of music, it’s ability to compel audiences. Audiences tie memories and emotions to certain songs, and Glasto has an archive to envy when it comes to drawing for compelling moments. They get rewatched. Re-shared. And they stand the test of time long after the festival ends.

This is content allows audiences at home to relive their favourite memories in life and this is why it matters to people and why it performs so well.

Key Takeaway: Think about the emotional centre of your content. What are the moments fans will want to relive again and again? Build from there.

3. Bring the field to the feed 🌾 📲 

Getting a Glasto ticket is a battle in itself. Millions of fans will try every year and some never make it past the queue. But BBC Music makes sure that even from a distance, you still feel part of the experience.

From drone shots of the Pyramid Stage to crowd cutaways and close-up emotion, their content the performance, but most importantly it captures the atmosphere. A vibe people from home will yearn to experience in coming years thanks to how BBC Music have told the story of Glastonbury.

The crowd cutaways provides a viewing experience from a fan lens, allowing those at home to picture themselves in the fields.

It’s immersive. It’s intentional. And it makes Glastonbury feel like something you’ve lived through, not just watched.

Key Takeaway: If your IP lives in a venue or live event, make sure your content captures why that moment matters to the fans, not just what the fans are watching.

Final Thoughts

Glastonbury is a cultural moment that every music looks forward to, in the fields or on YouTube. And BBC Music has built a YouTube strategy that facilitates this. By curating for discovery, heroing the emotional beats, and capturing the atmosphere in a way that translates beyond the fields.

For any rights-holder sitting on a major event or property, this is a clear playbook. The value doesn’t end when the moment does. With the right strategy, it lives on. Shared, replayed, and re-experienced again and again.

Joe Caporoso, President at Team Whistle, joins Paola to reveal their creator strategy with DAZN for the Club World Cup

This week we are joined by Joe Caporoso, the President at Team Whistle, who are a sports and entertainment media company part of the wider DAZN Group. In this week’s episode he reveals the strategy behind the launch of their global creator program with DAZN for the FIFA Club World Cup. Check out the episode below and let us know your thoughts!

• YouTube rolls out AI-powered search carousel. YouTube is now testing an AI-driven search results carousel, similar to Google’s AI overviews, for YouTube Premium users in the US. Searches like “best football stadium” will show a scrollable carousel of short clips, AI-generated summaries, and related videos that are designed for quicker discovery on mobile.

• Conversational AI expands beyond YouTube Premium. Alongside the carousel, YouTube is extending its conversational AI to select non-Premium US users. The feature lets viewers ask embedded questions or request summaries. This paves the way for creators to optimise metadata and timestamps.

• Live stream age limit raised for safety. In response to safety concerns, YouTube is increasing the minimum age for streaming to 16. Users aged 13-15 can stream only with verified adult supervision, no chat, and restricted features.

• MrBeast pulls AI thumbnail tool after creator backlash. Following the initial release, creator MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) removed his controversial AI-powered thumbnail generator via Viewstats just days after launch. He admits he “missed the mark” and is now pivoting to directing users to human thumbnail designers instead.

• Hello Kitty x CoComelon crossover announced. Sanrio and Moonbug Entertainment, are teaming up for a new children’s show dropping in 2026. The move highlights the growth of kids’ specific IP on YouTube, which is something sports has leant into with broadcasts to engage young fans.

We have exciting news to share with you this week! We have a masterclass launching on the 15th July, with strategic insights on How to Win on YouTube in the 2025/2026 Sport Season. Make sure you sign-up here to ensure you are prepared for next season on YouTube!

Also if you missed out on our previous masterclasses, don’t worry they are now available to watch on the BuzzMyVideos YouTube channel!

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