YouTube Adds 4,000 Free Episodes of TV Shows in FAST Ad Revenue Grab

Look out, Pluto TV and Tubi. YouTube is now offering free, ad-supported TV shows as it looks to compete more directly with FAST (free, ad-supported streaming TV) streamers and capture even more of the ad dollars in that space. For the first time, YouTube has rolled out more than 4,000 episodes of TV shows like Hell’s Kitchen, alongside the 1,500 free, ad-supported movies already on the platform. As many as 100 new TV titles will be added each week. Currently, YouTube offers select seasons from a variety of classic and more recent shows like Scream Queens, Father Knows Best, Unsolved Mysteries, The Carol Burnett Show, Bonanza, Greatest American Hero and 21 Jump Street. Those shows join 1,500 movies on the platform, including Runaway Bride, Legally Blonde and Gone in 60 Seconds. YouTube Moves Brandcast Event From NewFronts to Upfront Week Alongside the new titles, YouTube also features a new viewing experience, including streamlined navigation. While YouTube has featured full-length movies for free with ads since 2018, this is the first time the platform has expanded to include TV episodes. Competing for traditional TV ad dollars This shift comes as YouTube is moving its annual Brandcast event, usually held during the IAB NewFronts, to May's upfront week to more directly compete with traditional media companies for TV ad dollars. “Today, streaming and TV are one and the same. And YouTube can help advertisers reach more of their audiences on the big screen,” Debbie Weinstein, vp of YouTube and video global solutions, wrote in a blog post announcing the shift. She noted that the platform accounts for more than 50% of ad-supported streaming watch time on connected TVs among those 18 and up. YouTube reached over 135 million people on connected TVs in the U.S. last December, according to Nielsen, and now the platform is now more directly targeting FAST streamers like Paramount’s Pluto TV and Fox’s Tubi, which have seen soaring user and advertising numbers. Last quarter, Pluto TV added 10 million global monthly active users to reach over 64 million people, a 21.3% increase in MAUs. The platform also saw an 88% jump in revenue year-over-year, growing from $600 million to $1.1 billion. Meanwhile, Tubi exceeded 3.6 billion hours streamed in 2021, a 40% increase year-over-year in TVT, and December was the platform’s best performing month. Last year, Tubi’s total revenue exceeded the $440 million sticker price Fox paid for the streaming service just two years ago. Studio71 Beefs Up Podcast Arm With Over 100 Shows Also Streaming On YouTube