With 42.6 million users over the age of 15 in May 2024, YouTube is now “the first television channel in France”. This is what the general director of the platform, Justine Ryst, declared on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. For her, YouTube has become a “a key player in the audiovisual landscape”reports BFMTV .
According to the latest data from Médiamétrie, YouTube has indeed surpassed television channels in number of users. A success which is partly explained by its accessibility on larger screens. “Television is today the second largest channel for YouTube consumption in France” after the smartphone, noted Justine Ryst.
Building on its popularity and the success of its long formats, the platform now wants to invest in cinema. As proof, the documentary by YouTuber Inoxtag, Kaizenenjoyed immense success. It attracted 340,000 spectators in cinemas and 37 million views online. The documentary was then even broadcast on TF1.
YouTube's strategy is based on this “creative palette” ranging from short videos filmed vertically, “shorts”, to much longer, horizontal formats. The platform has above all managed to become the partner of traditional media. Major players in the PAF like until, TF1 and France Télévisions are investing more and more in it by creating dedicated channels, note BFMTV.
Additionally, the transition of iconic television personalities to YouTube, such as Élise Lucet and Claire Chazal, reflects the evolution of the audiovisual ecosystem. For Justine Ryst, this “meeting of all these generations of creation” embodies a change in content consumption in France.
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