Like millions of other households in the U.S., my family was abuzz with March Madness excitement earlier this month. During a live game, my son would pull up videos of Purdue center Zach Edey’s greatness on court, before moving on to analysis of his style and then something else Edey-related. In between game days, he would share videos of Edey doing challenges and fun interviews.
This pattern is hardly unique. Whether it’s sports, the Oscars, Coachella, the latest movie or a new episode from top YouTube creator MrBeast, what people watch on their screens these days is just the beginning of their viewing journey. People don’t just consume content—they truly dive deep on their passions and become fans.
This is such a huge shift from years past. Today’s viewers don’t just love a content genre, they love and seek all the content surrounding that topic. Watercooler conversations aren’t just about the buzziest moment from an event, they’ve also evolved to whether you saw the creator reactions and the takes that followed.
YouTube is the only place where people can watch millions of exciting creators and artists, and go deep into expansive worlds of content. According to a survey by Kantar, if viewers in the United States could only watch one service for an entire year, the No. 1 platform they chose was YouTube.¹ This was true for Gen Z (18-26) viewers as well.