BBC to produce shows for YouTube in new content deal
The BBC is preparing to produce programmes for YouTube for the first time under a new content deal with Google’s video platform as the UK broadcaster looks to boost revenues amid competition from streaming services.
The FT said tailored shows for YouTube would later also appear on the BBC’s iPlayer and audio platform Sounds. The agreement could be announced as early as next week, according to the report, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The broadcaster and Google did not comment.
While the BBC’s UK services are funded through a licence fee and remain advertisement-free domestically, the deal would enable the corporation to earn advertising revenue when the content is viewed outside Britain. Sources told the FT that the initiative targets younger audiences and would cover the BBC’s public service arm, while formalising existing ties with its commercial division, BBC Studios.
A limited slate of older BBC series could also be made available on YouTube, though this would not be the deal’s main focus.
The move comes as the BBC faces a major crisis after U.S. President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit seeking at least $10 billion in damages over edited clips of a speech that appeared to show him urging supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in 2021 — a scandal that led to the resignation of the broadcaster’s top two executives.
YouTube reached 51.9 million UK viewers in December, slightly ahead of the BBC’s 50.8 million, according to data from Barb Audiences, underscoring the platform’s growing dominance in digital viewing habits.
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