At Google’s vast new complex in LA, an entertainment revolution is under way. The cream of YouTube talent is shooting their crowd-pulling videos and creating a fusion of old and new media
The channel strategy seems to be working. An ad-buyer told me a couple of years ago that some brands were wary of YouTube because the content was unpredictable and often poor quality. In the past 12 months brands such as Unilever and Dodge have begun buying spots and today the top 100 advertisers in America use the site. YouTube’s ad rates are still well below those for a spot on primetime TV but Kyncl has faith that that will change. He says the total global ad market is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. “We are this small . . . ” he pinches his thumb and forefinger together “ . . . compared with the market we are playing in. As long as users are consuming video, the business will follow.”
