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.

The WWE YouTube playbook | A breakdown

With 110 million subscribers, nearly 100 billion lifetime views, and over 10 billion views just this year WWE are the leaders in the world of sports YouTube…

But while their channel runs 24/7 in sync with their show cadence, their recent SummerSlam gives us a perfect case study of what best-in-class YouTube strategy looks like when you go all in.

So how did they do it?

Let’s break down the moves 👇

Before we discuss strategy, lets talk numbers!

From August 1 to August 4 (a 4-day stretch), WWE:

• Uploaded 164 videos

• Pulled in 113 million views

• Split output between 127 Shorts and 37 main feed uploads

Pure platform prioritisation and domination.

But it wasn’t all about volume, it was about execution.

1. Build anticipation like a pro

They kicked off their “Road to SummerSlam” series 10 days before the main event reusing archive matches and full highlights to remind fans of legendary rivalries and set the stakes.

It’s smart content:
✔️ High interest
✔️ Low lift
✔️ Great for top-of-funnel hype

And they lean into retention, with the Road to SummerSlam videos being between 20 minutes and 1.5 hours per upload.

Key takeaway: Don’t confuse archive content with nostalgia, WWE use it as narrative fuel.

Use it to build emotional investment before your event starts.

2. Playlist like a powerhouse

WWE knows YouTube is a session-based platform and fans want the next hit now.

So they instantly rolled out three smart playlists post the SummerSlam event:

• Saturday’s action

• Sunday’s action

• A mega compilation of 57+ catch-all clips

It’s simple. It’s structured. And it turns passive browsing into hours of engagement.

Key takeaway: A big mistake we see if people viewing playlists as a nice to have. Built correctly they can be so much more than that, they’re your retention engine.

Serve fans more of what they want, without making them search.

3. Feed the frenzy

164 uploads in 4 days might sound excessive but for WWE, it’s exactly right.

Why?

Because their audience is hooked.

Fans want:

• Multiple angles

• Immediate reactions

• Shorts from every moment

• Main feed content to rewatch

WWE don’t leave fans wanting, they give them everything.

Key takeaway: In key moments, volume wins. Don’t undercook the content window. If the demand is there, flood the zone.

4. Wrap the event with live

WWE also hosted Countdown livestreams before and post-shows after each SummerSlam night.

It’s important context: while the main broadcast is on Netflix, they still leveraged YouTube to bookend the experience, guide fans, and build community.

YouTube cannibalisation is a myth.

Live on YouTube = high engagement + deeper storytelling.

Key takeaway: Don’t silo YouTube from your live rights.

Use it to preview, recap, and extend the fan experience around your event.

WWE isn’t winning by accident. They’re relentless.

From posting cadence to format mix, from playlisting to pre-event storytelling, they’ve built a machine that feels native to the platform and tailored to the fan.

They’re showing what’s possible for brands and rights-holders when you build a specialist team and go all in

For anyone in sport or entertainment asking, “What should our YouTube strategy look like during a tentpole moment?” this is your blueprint.

_{No Business of YouTube podcast this week, so lets throwback to an episode stacked with value, our chat with Esteban Gonzalez, Senior Digital Content Manager at FIBA 3x3.}

Esteban gives us a fabulous insight into the FIBA 3x3 content strategy, how they maximise engagement, reach new fans and stay ahead of the game.

A must listen for any rights-holder figuring out more innovative routes to market.

• “Whether your learning or relaxing, YouTube is much more precise than TV”. What a quote from a 60 year old covered in this Guardian article highlighting UK viewers over the age of 55 watched almost twice as much YouTube last year as they did in 2023.

• YouTube are testing adding collaborators to videos. “We’re starting to test a feature that allows creators to add collaborators to a video. Adding collaborators allows content to be recommended to each of the creators’ audiences. We’re starting this test with a small group of creators at first, but we’ll keep you posted on our plans to expand it to more creators.” - Jensen, Team YouTube.

• Barcelona FC have been racking up some huge concurrent live viewers. FC Barcelona have been live streaming their Asian pre-season matches on YouTube, and last week achieved 2 million concurrent viewers with their friendly vs Seoul FC and 15 million total views.

• YouTube is giving some channels a Netflix style makeover. This could be the future look of YouTube. On certain channels have been trialing a fresh new UX that looks more like browsing through Netflix than YouTube, episode descriptions and a “Watch Now” button to jump right in, and shelves of scheduled content.