Can YouTube get some respect? TV set respect, that is.
A report from The Information says nearly half of YouTube's viewership --45% -- now comes via TV set consumption. That's a big deal, as smart TV sets -- those fully internet capable and easy app access devices for nearly any video-based platform -- are commonplace.
This is up from YouTube's TV set consumption, which was below 30% just three years ago.
YouTube has seen this coming for a long time -- even as some critics harp on quality issues with the streaming service when it comes to the metaphor attached, which is seemingly now disappearing -- user-generated content.
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For years, media buyers have been moving in this direction, starting with Google Preferred nearly a decade ago, which sold curated content on the YouTube site to major brand marketers -- all with Nielsen-measured viewership.
The downside for some media buyers early on was that there was not much premium content available on YouTube -- content close in quality to what TV media buyers have been accustomed to with linear TV networks.
Now, there is a looser definition of advertising approved video content on YouTube -- especially in light of reach concerns, which continue to impact linear TV.
If that does not tell a better story, consider now Nielsen's Gauge index places YouTube (along with YouTube TV) as the top streaming service with the highest share -- nearly 8% -- ahead of Netflix.
This year, YouTube will return to TV upfront week in New York with a May 17 presentation at Lincoln Center.
Not inconsequentially, that is the same day Netflix has its first-ever upfront event at its owned Paris Theater.
YouTube wants your attention and advertising dollars this upfront period, telling its TV story.
How much will it get this time?
Wayne, there's no doubt about YouTube's big numbers---I, too, am on it very often in a single day. In fact if you do a bit of calculating, based on Nielsen's stats as well as what YouTube is reporting, an average adult probably devotes 40-45 minutes per day to YouTube content via a TV set or a digital device---and that's a per-capita number, including those who don't use YT on a given day. No other individual "TV" platform comes close to that figure. It's huge.
But national TV advertisers want their commercials to appear in in-show breaks in quality, professionaly produced, program content and without an invitation to zap them. So the question boils down to this. How much of YouTube's usage provides the kind of commercial environment that advertisers prefer and is comparable with what they now get from linear TV and, to a growing extent, from CTV?
"The downside for some media buyers early on was that there was not much premium content available on YouTube -- content close in quality to what TV media buyers have been accustomed to with linear TV networks."
To argue that finding quality programming is difficult on YouTube is pretty funny - especially given how much pure garbage there is on linear TV.
We proved a long time ago that big budget production does not = premium programming. Advertisers should care about the content and who is watching - not some vague standard of production. The audience dictates the quality and consumption of the video - not some arbitrary production standard.
Dan, there are some advertisers who would agree with you---generally speaking these are for more mundane or commodity products. However there are a great many who do care about the nature of the content and what they perceive to be the "quality" of the productions. These are the kinds of advertisers who you see in the big primetime dramas and sitcoms as well as news, sports and specials. They are willing to pay through the nose to be showcased in such content---often spending three times more per "viewer" to do so. I might also add that having their commercials presented in in-show breaks is also part of the equation. The assumption is that this generates greater attention levels than pre-roll spots where the "viewer" is told he/she can zap the message in five seconds if so desired.