Last year, Kareem Rahma, the host of the popular Instagram and TikTok series “Subway Takes,” added a new distribution platform for his hit show: YouTube.
From the start, he said, YouTube executives admired him and asked how they could help. Soon Mr. Rahma was telling them about another show he had in mind, “Keep the Meter Running,” a series in which he would interview and take rides with New York taxi drivers. Mr Rahma had big ambitions, including international travel which would require a much higher budget.
That’s when YouTube executives said they could help make that goal a reality.
“They became really supportive, and that’s when they were like, ‘Do you want us to help you connect with advertisers, like, with whatever you need,'” he recalls.
YouTube has been the most-watched TV streaming platform in the United States for several years, with a considerable lead over Netflix, Disney+ and other services. The company is now trying to maintain that lead by liaising more aggressively between creators and sponsors.
Playing matchmaker is a change for YouTube. For years, the company cut creators an ad revenue check after a video became a hit — but those creators were forced to finance the series themselves. With this new initiative, YouTube is trying to find sponsors to help creators find funding before a show even premieres.
This week, YouTube executives will invite Mr. Rahma to David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center to attend their annual showcase at no cost to advertisers. He will be able to deliver “Keep the Meter Running” directly to the nation’s top marketers.
He will be one of many creators to take the stage as the tech giant steps up efforts to help creators find new revenue streams — both to fund more ambitious projects and to keep them happy as rivals begin poaching top talent.
“They have businesses to run, but ultimately we want to make sure that they view YouTube as their home,” Mary Ellen Coe, YouTube’s chief business officer, said in an interview.
Or as Sean Downey, a top advertising executive at Google, YouTube’s parent company, puts it: “We’re really focused on making sure our creators have a home where they can build a great business.” »
YouTube is making this change as some of its main competitors try to imitate it. Netflix has dabbled in signing up some creators, such as children’s presenter Ms. Rachel and science educator Mark Rober, and struck deals with dozens of video podcasts, a booming business on YouTube. Amazon Prime Video tapped MrBeast, YouTube’s biggest star, and hired brothers Kelce and Oprah Winfrey to create their own video podcasts.
This week at YouTube’s Advertiser Showcase, the company will feature a series of series that advertisers can invest in directly, including those from former “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah and “Call Your Daddy” host Alex Cooper. This is similar to how traditional media companies make deals with marketers for upcoming programs.
The tech giant is bringing this white-glove approach to more than two dozen series. Additionally, YouTube has taken steps to serve as an intermediary between sponsors and hundreds of other creator shows by creating an online hub.
“We’re seeing a high level of investment in very ambitious projects, and they want YouTube to be the home for those ambitious projects,” Ms. Coe said of creators. “So we want to make sure that we help get them funds.”
YouTube has a very different business model than streaming companies like Netflix or Amazon. These companies typically pay talent fees up front. However, writers or producers typically relinquish ownership of their program in exchange for the company funding the budget. YouTube, on the other hand, generally pays nothing up front but gives creators a share of advertising revenue based largely on success.
Brittany Broski, a YouTube creator and comedian, said the company helped her find brands that were “a good fit.” And she thinks these new relationships could also help her fund future projects.
“I run an entire business here, so yeah, the money is great, but it goes directly into improving the set or, you know, hiring a new writer for the show,” she said.
YouTube is finding other ways to keep talent happy, such as investing heavily in Emmy premiere events and promotions.
Ms. Broski said she was dazzled by a red carpet premiere YouTube threw for her a few months ago for her original talk show, “Royal Court.” And Sean Evans, the host of the hit interview series “Hot Ones,” said he was impressed by the level of investment YouTube put into pushing his show to win an Emmy.
“I was walking around my neighborhood, heading to the gym down the street, and then I was confronted with my face,” he said, referring to a “Hot Ones” Emmy commercial. “And then go to the studio, which is in Times Square, and be confronted with my face. Or later in the week, drive down Sunset Boulevard, and be confronted with my face on a billboard again.”
Mr. Evans said that this year YouTube had only “increased its marketing resources” and was also funding a standalone “Hot Ones” Emmy event for the first time. He called him a “great partner.”
Mr. Rahma, the host of “Subway Takes,” said YouTube was also running an Emmy campaign for him. But the most important thing, he said, is being able to find a way to pay for another season of “Keep the Meter Running.”
“The hope and the promise is that when I announce my new show, advertisers will be interested and want to be involved in Season 2,” he said. “That’s my goal in announcing it out there.”
