YouTube is going back to the Upfronts.
For the fourth year in a row, it’s hosting its annual advertiser-bait event, Brandcast, during the TV-focused spring Upfronts. It used to, like most digital platforms, present to marketers during the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s digital-focused NewFronts, but in 2022, it went all-in on a bid for TV dollars and moved to the Upfronts.
The move was a surprise when it happened–but now we expect to see YouTube at the Upfronts, especially considering the two key points of messaging it’s pushed since its last Brandcast:
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- YouTube has been the #1 most-watched streaming service on TVs in the United States for two years (per Nielsen)
- Living room TV watch time has surpassed mobile and desktop viewing, making TVs the most frequent destination for YouTube viewers
CEO Neal Mohan has mentioned these stats at every opportunity, pitching YouTube as not only the top destination for digital content and the top streaming service (beating out competitors like Netflix), but also as the center of culture for the next generation. He argues YouTubers–and the production studios they’re increasingly founding–are the TV and Hollywood of tomorrow, and it looks like the 2025 Brandcast will tell advertisers why they should get in on the ground floor of this next era of entertainment.
(Also worth noting here that while YouTube was the first major creator industry participant to head to the Upfronts, it’s not the last: Creator marketing platform LTK just announced it’s making its own Upfronts debut this year.)
“Brandcast will showcase how YouTube has redefined entertainment by giving the reins over to a new class of performers and studios that are commanding every way viewers watch, fandoms and the entertainment industry, at large,” YouTube said in a company blog post.
To do that, it’s tapping in some of the most well-known names in digital and traditional media: MrBeast, Lady Gaga, and Brittany Broski (who, YouTube notes, just released her first song, a cover of Harry Styles‘ “Adore You.” Maybe a YouTube Music tie-in?).
All three will appear onstage at the Lincoln Center in New York City alongside Mohan himself, YouTube CBO Mary Ellen Coe, and Google President Sean Downey. Brandcast goes live Wednesday, May 14, at 5:30 p.m. EST.
“These influential creators and their unique content have made seismic shifts in culture and have created passionate fans and engagement that manifests on YouTube, like nowhere else,” YouTube said. “After this year’s Brandcast, advertisers will walk away knowing how to harness the power of the entire platform to achieve their goals.”
