YouTube Stormed TV. Now They Want Its Emmys Too
Inside the company's campaign to convince voters — and advertisers — that their stars and shows stand on the same ground as Hollywood's A-list
I write about the business of creators. I covered the coming creator war between Netflix and YouTube and reported on creators’ revenue streams now and jobs available in digital content for Hollywood talent. Send me tips, memes and ideas at natalie@theankler.com
Now that YouTube has taken over American living rooms, it’s gunning for an even more exclusive invite: the Emmy Awards.
On Sunday night, I attended YouTube’s first-ever Emmys For Your Consideration Event (and for those keeping track at home, my third YouTube event in five days). It was a much less grand affair than the glitzy Brandcast advertiser showcase the company held at Lincoln Center — and the FYC gathering clearly pushed YouTube outside its comfort zone.
Why’s it going there? YouTube dominates streaming viewership in the U.S. and commands billions of advertising dollars each year. But its ad rates are still a fraction of what a TV network can command (eMarketer pegged average YouTube CPMs around $15 at the end of 2023, while reporting that the major streamers were charging between $32-$42 at the beginning of 2024). And though it’s taken Netflix’s mantle in the living room, now Netflix and other top streamers are fighting back, luring its creators with splashy TV deals.
Like everything YouTube does in Hollywood, it’s approaching Emmy campaigning a little differently than its competitors. Creators technically had to self-submit, with YouTube stepping in to support and amplify their efforts. That’s because YouTube is a platform, not a studio or network, and it doesn’t want to be seen giving certain creators preferential treatment. But even before FYC season kicked off, YouTube was publicly backing a handful of creators in their quest for Hollywood recognition:
Sean Evans (Hot Ones): The celebrity interview show with the spicy twist is submitting in two categories, Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming
Rhett & Link (Good Mythical Morning): The best friends’ daily talk show has submitted for recognition in Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series category
Michelle Khare (Challenge Accepted): The series featuring the former BuzzFeeder as she trains for outrageous challenges will appear on the nominations ballot in the Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction category
YouTube creators have tried for Primetime Emmys in the past, and this year MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) is campaigning for his Amazon Prime Video series Beast Games in multiple categories, including Outstanding Reality Competition and Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program. But none has been awarded a statuette for work created and distributed on YouTube itself. (Bo Burnham, for example, built his brand and audience on the platform but was awarded his three Emmys for the 2021 Netflix special Bo Burnham: Inside.)
It won’t be easy to change that. Hollywood is a clannish town, and Emmy voters often like to see their friends and peers recognized. Not to mention, the age and makeup of the TV Academy’s 26,000 members skews toward a demo less likely to have familiarity with these creators. When the TV Academy last polled members, only 51 (!) identified themselves as between the ages of 18 and 24, and 68% said they were over 40. (About half of the body’s membership responded.) We don’t know how the voters will feel about online creators edging onto their turf, even if those creators make a compelling case for their projects.
At Sunday night’s event, YouTube showcased clips of each show and then gave the creators 20 minutes each to make their pitch to voters. During a post-event reception, Evans and the others mingled with guests, who could snap souvenir pics at show-themed photo booths and nosh on spicy chicken wings (featuring some of the hot sauces from Hot Ones) and other content-aligned bites.
As my colleague Katey Rich pointed out in her latest dispatch from the frontlines of Emmy campaign season, these creators are operating at a clear disadvantage, having to not only introduce themselves to Academy members but also explain why they even deserve Emmy consideration. (Hot Ones had the most name recognition heading into the night, according to the handful of voters Katey and I spoke to at the event.)
YouTube isn’t shying away from the challenge. “We will keep doing this until we get there,” says Angela Courtin, VP of connected television and creative studios at YouTube and the executive overseeing the company’s FYC efforts. She adds that YouTube has embarked on this effort because creators want that recognition from Hollywood (whether for the acknowledgement in itself or for the larger business implications, including unlocking more ad dollars). “If awards continue to be important to our creators,” Courtin adds, “we will continue to stand on with them to ensure that they are given that visibility to be taken seriously in a peer group that I think needs to consider creators as peers.”
The company over the past year has been flying creators to festivals like SXSW and Sundance, where I did a podcast with Evans, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, to position them as part of the Hollywood creative class. Khare even debuted her feature-length Challenge Accepted video — about her quest to earn a black belt in 90 days — at the Montclair Film Festival.
We’ve been hearing a lot from YouTube about why creators should win Emmys, and I expect that will only continue, but there’s more to the story. YouTube’s quest for Emmys began years ago, was derailed by the pandemic and then brought to life again at a new moment for the streamer. Today, I’m giving you the full behind-the-scenes scoop on how the company has been laying the groundwork to be recognized at the Emmys and why. Read on to learn about:
YouTube’s prestige pivot: How the company has doubled down to position its top talent as part of Hollywood’s creative class
Neal Mohan’s charm offensive: The CEO’s off-the-record meetings to make Emmy voters take creators seriously
No favorites: But here’s why the company chose the three campaigns it’s backing publicly
Why Hollywood isn’t buying it (yet): The obstacles for YouTube to cross including skepticism: “If you really want to go for it, fucking go for it”
Brand first: How YouTube is campaigning its own platform as much as its creators’ shows
The real stakes for creators: Why they want Emmys in the first place, and it’s not just for the glory
