The 20th anniversary is a huge milestone for YouTube. Can you talk about how that all came together?
We were very thoughtful about showcasing all sides of it. Even when talking to advertisers, we talk about having the YouTube experience, and that’s got a bunch of areas. I had five core pillars that we focused on: streaming, sponsorships, shopping, social, and AI. We tried to take some of our history from each of those, or some of the newness from each of those, and demonstrate them.
When you’re talking about streaming and what makes YouTube popular, you have to highlight the biggest stars. You have to bring MrBeast, and it’s great to bring Sean Evans because they are the epitome of the new Hollywood. They’re what built this platform, and having them there for the 20th anniversary was important to us. Then, you want to showcase how it’s driving cultural experiences. Having somebody like Brittany Broski host it in that style, which is so popular for how people come for information or entertainment. They’re watching podcasts and shows all the time on YouTube—having that run the show versus just being a straight stream was important to us because we could showcase the interactivity that YouTube has as a platform.
Ahead of the TV upfront season, there was a lot of talk about “uncertainty” and “flexibility,” especially given the concerns around tariffs. Has that impacted negotiations at all?
We’ve worked in uncertain times a lot. YouTube’s been around for 20 years. Google’s been around for 25 years, and we’ve navigated uncertain waters with clients through various periods at that time. Different companies are always in different positions, even in certain times, so the focus we have with them is, “What are you trying to solve for? What’s your objective? How can we help make YouTube work for you?” Because if we’re helping them grow, they’re always going to invest in us.
Our conversations leading up to Brandcast have been really good. There’s a lot of interest and demand for YouTube inventory, and people have showcased that. Then we’ll see what it looks like throughout the summer because they go around to all the shows and they learn about the content. They see what’s interesting to them. They try and understand what the options are for them. They talk to their colleagues, and then they start figuring out how they’re gonna allocate money.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t a stranger to the YouTube Brandcast stage. He made his first appearance a few years ago to announce NFL Sunday Ticket and came out again this year to speak more about the extended partnership between YouTube and the NFL. How important is it to continue highlighting sports to marketers?
