Broadcasters find growth in partnerships

During the IBC Conference session ‘YouTube’s Collaboration with Broadcasters: Better together’ yesterday, Justine Ryst, MD, YouTube France, aimed to squash "the biggest myth, that YouTube cannibalises TV”. “YouTube is the best ally to TV… and is completely different,” she said. “We do not commission content, nor own IP. We offer a global playground for creators with tools to analyse and monetise an audience with global reach. And we consider broadcasters as creators.” 

Grace Boswood, Director of Technology & Distribution at the UK’s Channel 4, said that with “younger audiences moving digital first”, the broadcaster’s audience on YouTube grew 169% in 2024. As an example, Channel 4’s biggest recent hit on the platform was a five-year-old documentary. “It got picked up by the algorithm and got millions of views. Archive content on our own streaming platform is very hard to find. YouTube gives it a second life. 

“We sell our own advertising around our longform content on YouTube with a revenue share that allows our sales team to do their job. They can sell at a better rate than YouTube’s team, making it financially positive for us and the risk of experimentation worthwhile. But getting more data about the audience on the platform is vital.” 

The theme of growing business outside of the broadcast bubble was continued on the panel ‘The Power of Collaboration: How strategic partnerships are transforming broadcasting’.  

Focus on the customer when choosing partners, advised Liz Riemersma, VP of Strategy, Business Development & International at Sling TV, who also works on satellite and broadband provider Dish. Size up each partner’s strength and how they drive the experience and develop jointly. “There’s no one-size-fits-all approach because customer needs vary,” she added. 

Katharine Wen, Director of Strategy & Development International Syndication, Sky, described how to bring content that competes for attention with social and gaming together in one aggregated experience, while Harish Sarma, VP Business Development and Partnerships at Yahoo Mail, offered rights holders, marketers and broadcasters a meaningful way to speak to consumers, revealing that half of his users are GenZ or Millennials. “That’s the generation which media is struggling to attract,” he said.