On Our Minds: Tuning in to YouTube

Earlier this year, YouTube released data indicating that TVs have surpassed mobile devices as the primary way people are viewing YouTube in the US. With over 1 billion hours of YouTube content being viewed every day on TVs, the streaming giant is taking some big swings to meet the moment. Two of particular interest: you won’t be ditching your phone completely —?while you watch, your synched phone app will allow you to interact in real time, leaving comments and engaging, keeping the community feeling of watching together alive. Second, they are integrating their streaming channel capabilities into the main feed, meaning content creators, brands, podcasters, and TV shows from Netflix and other streamers will all be in one place to browse.?

For many consumers, YouTube has always been appointment viewing: creators post on a consistent schedule and with the help of their promotion across other social platform, fans log in specifically to watch them. This often leads to extended browsing and autoplaying what’s next. It makes sense for YouTube to adapt their interface to match this behavior, like the must-see TV of decades past.?

As user behavior and platform changes contribute to YouTube transitioning into another longform streaming platform, how do we as Broadway marketers shift with it? Most Broadway shows use their organic YouTube channel solely as a repository for content, but it has the potential to be so much more. By investing in YouTube content for our shows that integrates into this landscape, it would not only help with ticket sales, but provide accessibility to the show like never before, both increasing word of mouth and building fandoms beyond what they can see on stage every night.?

While YouTube seems to stand at the nexus between social media and linear media, now is the time to leverage our big content beats as appointment viewing for fans and amplify with our other social platforms. Should our videos become longer and more serialized? Can we optimize our videos to answer the questions audiences have before they make a purchase? This doesn’t necessarily require a full overhaul and bigger production budgets, it’s about repackaging what we have to stand out in the evolving medium.?

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