YouTube went onstage with big stars and big stats at its annual Brandcast, which for the fourth year running took place during the TV-focused Upfronts in New York City. The internet’s largest video site already dropped some numbers at last week’s digital-focused NewFronts, where it talked up its ad formats and performance stats to the media and marketing execs who are expected to spend over $10 billion this year to reach consumers online.
At the Upfronts? It swung big with Nielsen data showing that not only is it the #1 streaming service in the U.S. by watch time (and has been for the past 2+ years), it’s also been the #1 most-watched distributor of content across broadcast, cable, and streaming in the U.S. since February 2025.
And this, it tells brands and marketers, is a significant deal, because as of Q1 2025, TV is the primary device U.S. viewers use to watch YouTube.
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But what’s generating all that watch time?
YouTube was quick to zero in on what draws viewers to consume more content on its platform than any other. That, of course, is the creators who make said content.
YouTube is an “epicenter of culture” 20 years in the making
YouTube tapped several creators as the faces of this year’s Brandcast, including MrBeast, Brittany Broski, IShowSpeed, and Hot Ones co-creator/host Sean Evans. They joined execs Neal Mohan (CEO), Mary Ellen Coe (CBO), and Sean Downey (President, Google) as examples of what high-performing creators on YouTube can achieve, from running multimillion-dollar charitable projects (and businesses) to creating some of the internet’s most talked about celebrity interviews.
(There were also notable musical guests: YouTuber/TikToker Alex Warren was the opener for powerhouse Lady Gaga. Considering Benson Boone opened Brandcast in 2024 and went on to perform at the next Grammys thanks to his massive hit “Beautiful Things,“ we’ll say this might indicate a career boost in Warren’s future.)
YouTube’s execs also made sure to kick things off with focus on the platform’s recent 20th anniversary–and where it plans to go from here, with more people than ever wanting to become content creators.
“In just two decades, YouTube has fundamentally reshaped how we watch and create entertainment,” Mohan said. “What started as a simple site with grainy, unscripted videos is now a force driving culture. When Charlie’s dad uploaded a video of his kids to YouTube in 2007, the term ‘creator’ didn’t even exist. Now it’s a dream career for millions of people all around the world.”
He added, “Today, YouTube has become the epicenter of culture. And I don’t mean short-lived fads or a one-off hit show, I mean culture with a capital C. The place where, day after day, year after year, the events, conversations, and voices that define the moment break through. That’s where we are today, but what comes next is even more exciting: a generational shift in how, what, and why we watch.”
Speed used his time onstage to announce a new show, Speed Goes Pro, that’s square at the trendy intersection of creator content and sports (more on YouTube’s sports ambitions below…). He said that thanks to streaming on YouTube, he’s gotten to “travel the world, meeting people from all walks of life”–including athletes like Noah Lyles and Cristiano Ronaldo. Now Speed Goes Pro will follow him training with elite athletes from all sorts of sports.
“I’ll be showing you the world’s greatest athletes like you’ve never seen them before,” Speed said, adding that “none of this happens alone.”
“All these unbelievable moments, it’s all possible because of my fans,” he said.
More TV viewership = more ad conversions
With YouTube dominating TV viewership and its biggest creators planning more content, there’s lots of potential airtime for connected TV-specific ad formats, like the ‘pause-vertising’ YouTube introduced in September 2024. YouTube also pushes unskippable ads on TVs far more than digital, with some of those spanning up to 60 seconds long. (Those prompted viewer complaints, but we’re betting advertisers are pretty keen to have captive living room audiences for a full minute.)
YouTube’s been somewhat closemouthed about the performance of those ad formats so far, but at Brandcast, it said CTV campaigns now drive more than 50 million conversions per month on average. That equals out to a 4.5x higher return on ad spend than ads placed on streaming TV, it added.
Viewers seem to have a pretty positive outlook on YouTube’s branded content, too, whether that content is ad placements, creator partnerships, or general chatter about brands. YouTube says a recent study from Kantar shows 82-83% of U.S. viewers think YouTube has the most trustworthy creators and the most trustworthy content, compared to creators on linear TV programs, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Kantar’s data also showed YouTube is the #1 platform consumers use when they want to research products, brands, and services.
The pipeline from consumer curiosity to CTV conversions “shows the real strength of YouTube,” Downey said onstage. “It’s the chance to drive from discovery to decision in one platform…So if you think you’ve seen everything YouTube can do for your business, it’s time to think bigger.”
New ads, who dis?
To help brands “think bigger,” YouTube also announced new ad formats that will activate when big things are happening. First up is Peak Points, which is built on the bones of Google’s AI Gemini, and will “identify and match ads with culturally relevant ‘peak moments’ in popular YouTube content–moments where audiences are most likely to be engaged,” YouTube says.
Next is Cultural Moment Sponsorships, where YouTube will work with brands to place ads around major holidays and events like Hollywood awards season, Black Friday, and the PGA Championship.
“This new package puts brands at the heart of the moment, with a high share of voice and brand integrations with the content viewers love,” it said. It cited case studies with Hilton and State Farm, which partnered with YouTube for campaigns around events like the Grammys, PGA Championships, and F1 races. Hilton saw a 5x return on ad spend, while State Farm’s campaign is ongoing and will give it 100% share of voice takeovers on relevant golf channels like Grant Horvat and Good Good.
YouTube also plans to expand shoppable CTV ads with an interactive product feed powered by the “Google Merchant Center,” that’ll let TV viewers scroll through products and buy directly on their devices. inb4 the next TikTok Shop?
As for what these ads will run against, YouTube announced two things: an expansion of its NFL partnership, and a feature called Shows on TV first announced at Made On YouTube last September. As Mohan laid out during that event, Shows on TV will give creators the ability to separate long-running content series into seasons, with an episode select UI similar to something like Netflix. YouTube specifically cites Michelle Khare‘s Challenge Accepted and Rhett & Link‘s Good Mythical Morning as shows that fit this format. Maybe Speed Goes Pro will be a future addition?
Sounds like this will take some of the playlist management burden off creators whose libraries include years’ worth of serial content, and make it easier for viewers to find older content in an ongoing series they enjoy.
re: the NFL, YouTube has had a partnership with the league since 2015, and in 2023 that partnership went big with YouTube winning rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket, a subscription package that gives viewers access to all out-of-market games. YouTube’s paying the NFL $2 billion per season for these rights–and, after a successful first season with the Ticket, it’s been looking to splash more cash on exclusive NFL events.
We learned last month that YouTube was campaigning to acquire the exclusive streaming rights to the NFL’s first game of the 2025-2026 season, a matchup in São Paulo, Brazil. YouTube today revealed it won the rights–but unlike Sunday Ticket, which costs $378/year, this game will stream for free on the NFL’s YouTube channel, as part of the platform’s efforts to position itself as a sports destination on digital and TV.
Also coming to the YouTube x NFL partnership is an additional multiyear deal for the annual Super Bowl Flag Football Game, where content creators, artists, and other celebs face off. The first match, held during Super Bowl LIX earlier this year, pit Team IShowSpeed against Team Kai Cenat, and was a “breakout success,” YouTube says. Its broadcast drew over 6 million live views.
