🎬 YouTube Is Now Television

YouTube arrived as a full industry player.
For the first time, it stood beside broadcasters, not against them.
Panels with Pedro Pina (YouTube) and Jasmine Dawson (BBC Studios) demonstrated how audiences—not commissioners—now define television.

“When audiences choose where and how to watch, they redefine what television means.”

Half of  YouTube’s viewing now happens on TV screens with content over 20 minutes long.
Case studies from BBC Studios, Channel 4, ITV, Banijay, and Merzigo showed that posting full episodes on YouTube boosts, not harms, streaming results.
According to Luminate, Global Entertainment Trends 2025, free-streaming platforms such as YouTube now hold a stable share of total U.S. output even as production volume fell only 3 % year-on-year 

🔖 Brands Step In as Co-Producers

With broadcaster budgets tightening, brands are becoming financiers and storytellers.
Names like L’Oréal, Gucci, Johnson & Johnson, Dentsu, and YSL are investing in their own IP to communicate brand values rather than sponsor content.

“Storytelling now begins with brand values, not advertising briefs.”

🌍 Hyper-Distribution & Global Reach

Exclusivity is giving way to partnerships.
Studios now monetize IP across every possible screen, using YouTube, FAST, and AVOD as global reach engines.

Luminate report presented at MIPCOM highlights rapid internationalization: non-English-language content is increasing across almost all major platforms, while Korea (#2) and Italy (#3) have become top destinations for U.S. productions .

Collaboration replaces control. Expansion replaces exclusivity.

👥 The Creator Economy Grows Up

Creators are no longer influencers—they are producers.
Banijay’s Creator Lab allows online talent to re-imagine classic TV formats, while Merzigo’s AI-driven localization model revives library content.

This reflects Luminate’s Transmedia trend, showing cross-pollination between film, TV, music, and gaming .

⚡ Microdramas & Smart Simplicity

Short-form serialized storytelling is emerging as the fastest monetizing content format.
Microdramas are treated as flexible frameworks that can attach to any IP.
Following China’s model, the market is shifting from TVOD micro-payments to AVOD and sponsorship funding.
Brands integrate products organically, creating affordable, high-impact exposure.

📊 Data Points That Matter 

• “Peak TV” contraction easing: 6 % drop in 2024 vs 3 % in 2025 YTD 

• Korea and Italy emerge as top hubs for U.S. productions 

• Cross-platform storytelling lifts engagement: for example Netflix’s Adolescence drove AURORA’s music streams up globally 

• Gaming IP and new franchises are replacing sequel dependency 

• AI enters production, splitting audience opinion on authenticity 

🧭 What This Means for Producers & Investors

Television has officially moved from format-first to fandom-first.
Audiences are not passive—they participate, remix, and decide what survives.

Next Steps for Rights Owners and Producers

• ---

  -→Build consistent YouTube + AVOD strategies--→ **In the MENA region, North African countries have been doing this for ages, Check out Ramadan report from HConsult Content Market Tracker!**

• -→Repackage archives with AI and language localization---→  **In the MENA region, Rotana are already doing this!**

• -→Partner early with creators and brands as co-storytellers--→  **In the MENA region, SCENE platform are doing this!**

• -→Measure loyalty and community over views--→ ** In the MENA region, 1000 sattelite TV channels + 70 OTT platfoms exist to serve the various community tastes + maitain loyalty**

👩🏻‍💼💬 Consultant's Note- by Heba Korayem

MIPCOM 2025 what is left unsaid:  The Money Doesn't add up!

After we’re done celebrating YouTube becoming TV, or Microdramas emerging as the next big trend, the truth remains: content is still expensive.

No matter where audiences sit, content will always be funded by one of two things — subscriptions or advertising.

And right now, there’s a big gap between what it costs to make television content and what YouTube ads can pay for it. TV content costs significantly more to produce than creator content on YouTube, so the money will never quite add up if YouTube is included within the first couple of windows of a distribution strategy — particularly in the MENA region, where CPMs are lower than in many parts of the world.

But here’s the good news: while the Western market is only realizing this now, MENA distributors and producers have long mastered the art of balancing budget mismatches. They’ve already perfected the distribution game — navigating FTA, Pay TV, SVOD, AVOD, FVOD, and YouTube — and still maintaining a profitable billion-dollar industry.

👉 You can read the full article on how MENA’s leading distributors skillfully navigate the Peak TV era here:
🔗 [Full article link]

MIPCOM 2025 sends a clear signal to Arabic producers.
Our region’s linguistic diversity, storytelling heritage, and entrepreneurial spirit position us perfectly for this multi-platform world.

As global players seek authentic voices and new co-production partners, the MENA region’s hybrid model, where tradition meets innovation… combined with its young population, rapidly growing media industry, and increasing government support for the entertainment sector, positions it as a powerful competitive advantage.

The future of television belongs to those who own the relationship, not just the rights
Arabic storytelling, with its emotional intelligence, cultural depth, and commercial viability is ready to lead that dialogue.