Streaming & OTT

What Would It Take for Marketers to Leave YouTube? Nothing Short of a Mass Exodus

Buyers say they won't leave the embattled platform unless the audience does

brands-bow-out-youtube-CONTENT-2019 — According to one source, backlash against the platform would have to reach a "fever pitch" for brands to consider taking action.Getty Images

YouTube has faced controversy after controversy after controversy. But while public perception of the platform might be coming under strain, its deep-pocketed advertisers haven’t walked away yet.

The latest YouTube brouhaha, in which Vox Media video journalist Carlos Maza publicized the sustained harassment he faced from conservative YouTube personality Steven Crowder and his fans, wasn’t enough to get media buyers to even consider spending fewer of their clients’ ad dollars on the gargantuan platform. Meanwhile, the New York Times has recently reported on YouTube’s automated recommendations that may direct