As was rumoured, the BBC has announced a new content deal with YouTube, meaning viewers will be able to watch shows completely for free without a TV licence.
To back up a second, the BBC already has content on YouTube, but it’s primarily trailers and clips to make you want to go watch them in full on iPlayer. This new landmark deal signals a huge change in the firm’s strategy.
It will involve producing content tailor-made for Google’s huge video platform, though it may also be made available on iPlayer in addition. The BBC says the content will include a mix of genres such as entertainment, children’s channels, documentaries, news and sport.
This will kick off with the Winter Olympics next month.
BBC
It’s such a huge deal because it means viewers will be able to watch full-blown BBC content on YouTube for free, although not globally.
The firm has said viewers in the UK will not see adverts on UK, so they may even ditch their TV licence, signalling the beginning of the end of its unique model.
Globally, however, the YouTube content will help with “generating funds for the corporation” That’s still free, as it were, and will mean users don’t need to use a workaround like a VPN to watch the content.
Data shows that BBC Studio content received 15 billion annual YouTube views, with watch time nearly doubling year over year, so now is the time to strike with younger generations accustomed to watching content on apps like YouTube and TikTok rather than watching live television.
Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, said it would help “connect with audiences in new ways” and “also allows new audiences different routes into BBC services like BBC iPlayer and Sounds.”
Whether the BBC decides to host hugely popular shows like The Traitors on YouTube remains to be seen, but it’s one of the biggest strategy changes we’ve seen in recent memory.