YouTube recently made headlines after announcing record-breaking earnings of $7 billion in the second quarter of 2021. This marks an 84% jump from $3.81 billion in last year's period. Sundar Pichai, CEO of YouTube's parent company Alphabet attributes much of YouTube's viewership growth to their latest short-form video feature 'YouTube Shorts'. This new feature has helped the company generate a total of 15 billion daily views, up from 6.5 billion in March. For many creators, this new video format has taken some getting used to, however, one company thriving under the shift towards short-form content is Canadian media innovator BBTV.
BBTV happens to be right at the crossroads of a few rapidly moving industries, working with everything from Influencers to NFTs meaning there are very few competitors in the space performing at such a high level. As a result, BBTV provides an informative case study on this new era of media.
For decades one of the most pervasive trends in media has been decreasing length as popular media has gotten shorter and more consumable. While longer formats such as movies and plays dominated the media industry in the 20th century, this is no longer the case. Take TikTok as an example. The rapidly growing platform is famous for its fast-paced videos some lasting mere seconds.
"Viewership and engagement are key drivers to revenue growth for content creators, and this is just one example of how we're expanding on our massive baseline for monetization," commented Shahrzad Rafati, Chairperson and CEO, BBTV. "BBTV has always embraced new formats that keep audiences engaged in new and exciting ways. We know that 80% of Millennials and Gen Z prefer short-form videos, and this is part of the reason that we're seeing this surge for YouTube Shorts. It's an important consideration for creators that we work with, as our solutions amplify the ability for them to turn their viewership into real revenue. Innovations like YouTube Shorts are powerful enablers for creators to really leverage what BBTV has to offer."
It is not only the length of the content that is shrinking but also the speed at which new trends come and go. Nowadays content creators must be on the ball if they want to stay up to date with a set of trends that seem to shift on a daily basis. It is no wonder few companies have been able to keep up, breakneck speeds are simply unfeasible for most large organizations.
Although the remaining industry leaders are sparse, they have one thing in common. They understand that these days, it's all about the creators. While large companies might not be able to stay on top of the day-to-day shifts, their creators and partners are always one step ahead. Successful media companies are now the ones that empower the creators themselves.
BBTV is a prime example of why it pays to put creators first. In fact, their suite of tools is centered around streamlining the content creator experience. BBTV's proprietary VISO technology gives creators a pulse on their digital following, ensuring they publish the most engaging and successful content possible. It's tools like these that reveal the latest development in the media industry. Now more than ever, media companies need to provide value or risk getting left behind. Digital celebrities currently have more freedom to choose their platforms, management, and partners compared to those of the past.
Navigating the new landscape of media can be difficult for creators and brands alike, fortunately, companies such as BBTV are helping shape an innovative set of tools to guide the way.
Creating engaging content has never been easier.
