YouTube "invests" more than Netflix

According to Justine Ryst, CEO of YouTube France, YouTube returns more than 50% of its revenue to its content creators, amounting to $100 billion since 2021. This is $20 billion more than Netflix's investment in content, explains Ryst, who nevertheless points out key differences compared to Netflix: no upfront funding and no commissioning of content, as it is freely created by users. YouTube, the second screen in France. Furthermore, YouTube is a unique platform, both a competitor to traditional channels and an ally: "YouTube is not here to replace television, in the sense of broadcasting," explains Ryst. "Our platform is the best ally of broadcasters and producers." It was the users who decided that YouTube was the primary screen in the United States, and the second in France and the United Kingdom. An example cited for this complementarity is the synergy with Canal+, which uses the platform to distribute the first episode of its original productions for free, such as (the very dispensable) Bref 2.