BBC to make shows for YouTube in landmark new deal

The BBC has announced a landmark partnership with YouTube, which will see the company produce content specifically tailored for the YouTube platform. In the United Kingdom, the broadcaster has used YouTube, which is owned by Google, to post clips and trailers for its own shows. However, the BBC will continue to produce content aimed at YouTube's younger audience as a result of the new change, although it may also be available on the BBC's iPlayer and Sounds websites. When seen from outside the United Kingdom, the new programmes will feature advertisements, raising extra funds for the corporation at a time when its future funding model is being discussed.

Beginning with the Winter Olympics in February, the program will feature a mix of entertainment, news, and sports. YouTube and the BBC announced on Wednesday that the agreement would feature "the best homegrown storytelling and news from across the BBC.

It would help the BBC help connect with audiences in new ways, according to director general Tim Davie.

We're off to a good start, but we're taking us to the next level,

he said.

We are building a robust YouTube platform to upskill the next generation of YouTube creators from around the UK,

explains the YouTube creator.

Importantly, this relationship also gives new viewers different routes into BBC services such as BBC iPlayer and Sounds.

The new partnership will see the BBC and YouTube support the government's Creative Industries Sector Plan by investing in the next generation of creators around the world. 150 media professionals will be able to expand their YouTube knowledge at workshops and seminars, aided by the National Film and Television School.

'Digital storytelling'

Vice President Pedro Pina of EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) said they were delighted to partner with the BBC

to reimagine the boundaries of digital storytelling.

This collaboration adapts the BBC's world-class content for a digital-first audience, ensuring that its cultural impact reaches a younger, more global audience,he said.Our first-of-its-kind training program, which enhances the next generation of British talent to lead the global creator economy,the content says.We are not simply telling the tales of today; we are setting the tone for the storytellers of tomorrow. According to statistics published by rating company Barb, the number of people watching YouTube in the United Kingdom (52 million) outstripped the BBC's combined offerings (51 million) on certain metrics in December. And last year, research found that social media and video networks had become the leading source of news in the United States, overtaking traditional TV stations and news websites. YouTube and the BBC's latest deal covers the latter's UK-based public service broadcasting wing as well as international content from BBC Studios. Last year, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the BBC's licence fee is unenforceable and that no options are off the table as the government evaluates the corporation's new funding scheme.