BBC Signs YouTube Content Deal to Reach Youth as Audience Reach Slips

The BBC is launching a content partnership with YouTube to produce original series and full programs to reach younger demographics. This strategic shift follows recent data from Barb showing that YouTube has surpassed the BBC in monthly audience reach within the United Kingdom. In a related development, presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have debuted their first podcast and a new digital channel on the platform.The agreement allows the corporation to generate advertising revenue from global audiences outside the United Kingdom for the first time. This expansion comes as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy considers legislation to ensure public service content remains prominent on digital platforms. While the BBC still leads in long-form content consumption, the deal aims to secure its future relevance in a competitive landscape.The new digital channel from Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, titled Belta Box, features clips from their earlier television series and a fortnightly podcast. Journalist Alex Hudson noted that the global podcast market is projected to grow significantly by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, the broadcaster is also seeing internal changes as Amol Rajan prepares to depart from the Radio 4 Today program.