The future YouTube is building

Last week YouTube’s CEO, Neal Mohan, shared their priorities for 2026.

This is something we always pay close attention to and encourage creators to do the same.

Usually these announcements are more product and feature focussed - and therefore viewed from a more tactical lens.

However this year’s update provides a heap of signals for the future of YouTube and the wider impact on the media ecosystem.

So, with YouTube’s immense influence over the entire entertainment ecosystem, this is something that everyone in the media & entertainment industry needs to understand.

Here’s a few things to take away from it.

YouTube wants to drop the DIY, bedroom creator perception.  

Mohan made a big point of highlighting creators who are building studios, prime-time talent, and Emmy contenders (shout out our mate Michelle Khare). 

Putting this point first was no mistake - they’re reframing, from “anyone can upload” to “premium content and serious media businesses are built here”.

This isn’t YouTube chasing traditional TV. It’s YouTube saying, this is what TV looks like now.

Commerce. Brand deals. Fan funding. Subscriptions. Tips. Shopping.

YouTube wants to be integral to as many ways for creators to make money as possible.

If a creator inspires a purchase, fuels fandom, or drives a brand outcome, YouTube wants that living entirely inside the product. Even stepping into new areas typically off platform like brand deals (which is very interesting).

This is good for creators in some ways - less friction and more scale.

But it can be more constraining in others, especially around data, leverage, and dependency on the platform. Either way, it’s a real shift to pay attention to.

YouTube is all in on AI as a creative accelerator, but not a replacement to human creators.

Tools that help creators experiment, localise, scale, and make cool things are in.

While at the same time AI slop is actively being filtered out.

Gen AI content and how creators, viewers and platforms interact with it (and put guardrails on it) will be a huge aspect to watch over the coming months and years (it’s moving super fast!)

Mohan announced a strengthening parental controls. 

This isn't just about safety. It’s about future-proofing the platform in a world where governments are increasingly stepping in. 

Case in point the Australian Government’s recent ban on under 16 year olds on having social media accounts - and other governments watching closely and wanting to act.

YouTube is putting in guardrails now to hopefully ward off against mandatory ones later.

YouTube is aiming to be all of the content: TV, music, short form, livestreams, podcasts, news and the last hold outs of traditional broadcast - live sports.

YouTube’s dominance isn’t new. YouTube has been #1 in streaming watch-time in the U.S. for nearly three years, according to Neilsen, but it’s domination will continue to be greater.

YouTube, and platforms more broadly, are no longer choosing between creators and traditional media. They’re building systems where creators and traditional media converge.

The opportunity (and the tension) now sits in the middle.

That’s the conversation we’re paying attention to.

You can read the blog post here.

The Creator Economy Summit has officially wrapped! Showcased to a sell out crowd, there was nothing but great vibes and brilliant conversation and insight!

The collaboration was between Changer and Screen Queensland, and held as part of the AACTA Festival, the summit brings broadcasters, platforms, and creators together to shape where the media landscape is heading next.

While the event has finished, you can check out the event and speakers in the link below.

Next week we’ll share what went down, plus the key insights shaping the future of the creator economy.

Stay tuned as we’ll be sharing insights and outcomes from the summit with you!
✌️
The Changer Team