How YouTube went from media pariah to partner | WARC | The Feed

How YouTube went from media pariah to partner

Once vilified and legally challenged by media giants for sharing small chunks of their content without permission, YouTube has forged a new relationship with Hollywood – one that offers a win-win for both, says YouTube’s vice president of content partnerships, Kerry Merryman.

What’s new

• YouTube has worked hard to reinvent itself and be seen as a partner to Hollywood, one that allows studios and networks to use the platform’s huge reach to promote content.
• It’s a win-win tie-up because the premium content promoted attracts greater ad revenue for YouTube.
• This kind of partnership, unthinkable only a few years ago, has only deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic as studios have looked to YouTube to attract younger audiences to streaming platforms, says Merryman.

Key quote:

“We’ve gone from the platform that made them no money and they were suing to the platform that is paying out massive amounts of money and lots of usage for them” – Robert Kyncl, chief business officer, YouTube 

Sourced from LA Times