Juan Pablo Robert Talks YouTube’s Impact on the Media Industry

At last year’s MIP CANCUN, the session Winds of Change: The Forces Driving Video’s Next Chapter explored the evolving video landscape, with Juan Pablo Robert, head of media companies for YouTube in Spanish Latin America, bringing the creator economy into focus.

During the session, Robert outlined the key shifts reshaping the media industry, examined changing audience behaviors and expectations, and discussed the opportunities arising from the convergence of traditional media and digital platforms.

Marking two decades since the launch of the platform, Robert spoke with World Screen about YouTube’s role in an increasingly globalized media environment, the importance of staying informed, the evolution of consumption across different niches, and the factors behind successful content development.

WS: YouTube marked its 20th anniversary this year, and if I’m not mistaken, it wasn’t until 2007 that the platform launched in Brazil, correct?
ROBERT: I don’t recall the exact month, but it was also available in Mexico that same year. YouTube has been available since 2005, but localized versions launched in Mexico and Brazil in 2007. It has been 20 years of significant change and innovation.

YouTube began as an idea that many people didn’t believe in. There were even questions about Google’s decision to invest in the platform and the rationale behind that investment. At the time, it was widely seen as a waste of money—and yet, look at where the company is today. Its growth has been the result of constant evolution.

Back then, not even YouTube’s founders had a clear sense of how far the platform could go. It started as a space to upload and share short, homemade videos at a time when camera phones were just beginning to become available. People were recording themselves on their phones or using their computer cameras.

What began as video-blogging from a teenager’s bedroom—or from anyone with a camera—has evolved into what YouTube is today: a multi-format platform consumed across a wide range of devices. With the rise of smartphones, viewing shifted from the computer to mobile devices, and eventually to connected TVs. It has been a massive transformation, one that has also enabled creators themselves to evolve.

The mission remains intact: to give everyone a voice and to show the world through content. But the most significant change I’ve seen—and one that truly began in 2007—was the creation of the YouTube Partner Program. It introduced a unique business model in which advertising revenue is shared almost evenly between creators and the platform. In other words, more than half of the advertising revenue we receive goes directly to creators.

This is what led to the emergence of the term “creator economy.” What was once considered a hobby has, over the past 20 years, evolved into a professional career. Major creators, as well as those with a moderate level of success, now work with writers, script editors, production teams and business strategies. That is the most significant evolution and the lasting impact YouTube has had over these two decades.

WS: Did YouTube’s business model pave the way for the creator economy to expand to other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram? After all, creators on those platforms also earn revenue, don’t they?
ROBERT: It’s somewhat different. YouTube’s model is unique because content creators—and even media companies that operate channels on the platform—can generate revenue in three different ways. That said, to answer your question, yes, YouTube has been a pioneer in many areas, even as other platforms have begun to explore similar approaches. The first revenue stream on YouTube is the revenue-sharing model. For example, when a user watches a long-form video, we understand that those views are driven by the creator. Thanks to that content, we are able to serve advertising, and that’s why we want to reward the creator.

Without creators’ content, we would simply be a technology platform. The content does not belong to us; it belongs to each channel and, therefore, to its creators. That is the fundamental difference between YouTube and a traditional media company, which both produces and distributes its own content. We distribute content created by others, but the creators retain ownership. What we have is a license to distribute it. This model allows creators to earn revenue because we can directly attribute views to their content.

What happens, for example, in other formats where users simply scroll up and down or swipe from side to side? Who do you attribute the advertising to in those cases? The reality is that users encounter ads between videos, but not necessarily because they intended to watch a specific piece of content. It is more about discovery. In that sense, YouTube remains unique, although other companies are beginning to experiment with similar models.

The second revenue stream—also a very important one and an area YouTube has heavily developed—comes directly from fans. Through channel memberships, creators can offer exclusive or extended content and maintain a closer relationship with their audiences. This allows fans to say, “I want to support my favorite creator,” by paying a monthly subscription. In addition, creators also receive a share of YouTube Premium revenue.

The third revenue stream, which is well established across the industry and social platforms, is brand partnerships. There is no fixed rule governing how much income creators earn from each of these three sources. We know many YouTube channels whose primary revenue comes from advertising managed by us. Others rely more heavily on fan contributions, while some generate the majority of their income through brand partnerships, using different models to negotiate their own deals. In those cases, YouTube simply provides the window; we do not charge creators to integrate products into their content.

On top of that, we offer a marketplace program that directly connects creators with brands to facilitate collaborations. The creator economy has made it possible for creators to rely on three distinct revenue streams that support a sustainable professional and economic career. For some, advertising is the main source of income; for others, fan support, and for others, brand partnerships. Each creator ultimately finds their own balance.

That is the core strength YouTube offers to channels on the platform. And this applies not only to individual creators and artists, but also to media companies—many of which generate millions of dollars in annual revenue on YouTube through the content they publish, along with additional benefits.

WS: How has the viewing device influenced what we watch and how much we consume?
ROBERT: It has changed dramatically. One major shift is that, with the growth of bandwidth and improved home connectivity, content consumption has increased exponentially. In Mexico, for example, an average of 35 million hours of YouTube are watched on television every single day. That figure is astonishing. For many media channels and creators, more than 50 percent of total watch time now comes from viewers consuming content on connected TVs.

That may seem counterintuitive, given the explosive growth of short-form vertical video, which might suggest that long-form viewing would decline. But that hasn’t happened. What’s surprising is that both formats have grown in parallel. As short vertical video consumption has increased, so has long-form viewing—particularly on televisions. This tells us that prime time, as we once knew it, has essentially disappeared.

The biggest paradigm shift has been the relocation of the center of content consumption. In the past, we all gathered at 8:00 p.m. to watch a telenovela or a reality show, which meant traditional media had to design strategies to get audiences to adjust their habits and tune in at a specific time, on a specific screen, in their living rooms.

Today, the center has shifted to the user. Through recommendation systems and platform algorithms, content becomes personally relevant, and decisions about how, when, and where to watch are no longer tied to the television. Now, I decide which device I use and at what time I watch content, opening the door to true multi-format consumption.

This has made prime time personal—not just in terms of schedule, but also in the type of content and the format in which it is viewed or listened to. That is the fundamental change: as a user, I determine my own prime time. The success of content is no longer dictated by major studios or even by YouTube itself, but by users—through their views and engagement. And once we understand that, we can begin to innovate and create new forms of content.

WS: Does what audiences watch and consume in Latin America differ significantly from what is consumed, for example, in Europe?
ROBERT: That’s a great question, and I’d answer it in two ways. First, something that has truly surprised me is that Spanish-speaking Latin America not only shares a common language, but also many cultural similarities. If I travel to Chile, Argentina, Peru, El Salvador or the Dominican Republic, we recognize the same YouTube channels, follow the same creators and consume very similar content. Of course, there are local factors that are unique—and that’s a good thing—but broadly speaking, we are part of the same community.

This is extremely positive for YouTube channels in Spanish-speaking Latin America, because they are not constrained by language or culture. If you compare this to a country like France, for instance, its content is primarily relevant to French audiences, and perhaps to some viewers in Quebec, but language and culture naturally limit its reach. In Spanish-speaking Latin America, by contrast, the potential audience exceeds 400 million people, with no borders restricting reach from one country to another. This creates a level of content exchange—both export and import—that is not seen in other regions of the world. That said, there are still cultural and linguistic differences that influence which types of content resonate most strongly in each country.

The second point—and this is fascinating—is the growth of certain creators, such as Alejo Igoa. Over the past year, his channel grew from roughly 50 million subscribers to 95 million. Part of that success is driven by generative artificial intelligence, which has enabled him to translate his videos into more than 10, 15 or even 20 languages. This makes his content culturally agnostic. What resonates here can also resonate in Vietnam, Japan, France, Germany or Canada.

Thanks to tools such as YouTube’s automatic dubbing, his videos are now available in multiple languages, allowing content that is rooted more in shared human experience than in specific cultural references to be discovered and enjoyed by audiences around the world.

When creators produce locally relevant content that may initially appeal to a limited audience but connects on a human level, it can transcend language and cultural barriers and be viewed and enjoyed globally. In other words, if you create high-quality, valuable content, audiences will find you and connect with you—without geographic or cultural limitations.

In fact, some of what we are already doing with creators goes beyond simply translating audio. In many cases, mouth movements are also adapted to match the spoken language, making the content feel far more natural and strengthening the connection with viewers. As a result, language—a barrier that limited us for millennia—is now beginning to fall, allowing creators to take their voices and their content to audiences around the world.

WS: In your view, what has made it essential today for every media company to have a YouTube channel? And how do you manage relationships with traditional media to ensure accurate information is distributed, particularly in the face of misinformation?
ROBERT: We work very closely with leading news and media organizations. We maintain strong relationships in which we not only share best practices, but where media companies themselves recognize the value of their partnership with YouTube. Unfortunately, there is a persistent myth that YouTube cannibalizes its content. In reality, YouTube acts as a catalyst—something demonstrated not only by studies we have conducted with Nielsen, but also by ratings data and by what media companies themselves tell us.

Media organizations have found YouTube to be a source of incremental reach, allowing them to connect with audiences—often much younger ones—that would otherwise be difficult, if not impossible, to reach. In this way, they are able to bring their IP and content to viewers who might never have discovered it otherwise.

One of the biggest challenges, particularly for paid platforms, is retention. Getting a user to subscribe is one thing, but keeping them engaged is another. This is where YouTube’s recommendation systems and algorithms play a critical role. For the first time, we are living in a moment where content supply exceeds demand, creating what is often referred to as the paradox of choice.

The curation performed by recommendation systems allows content that is personally relevant to be surfaced for each user. Roughly nine out of ten people who watched content related to a film or series on YouTube later chose to watch that film or series in full. This not only facilitates discovery but also helps users decide what they want to watch in long-form on the native platform for that content.

It also contributes to programming curation. For example, when a channel uploads a clip from an interview with an actor, it encourages viewers to watch the full interview on the media company’s preferred distribution platform. In this sense, YouTube becomes a powerful ally for media companies, helping them reach new audiences and extend the lifespan and reach of their content.

In the news space, we work very closely with media organizations, with freedom of expression as a core principle. At the same time, we ensure that all content on YouTube complies with our community guidelines and policies—that it does not cause harm, that it is not dangerous, and that news is presented with proper context, which is essential. When it comes to news, our goal is to bring information to people in a responsible way, ensuring that audiences understand both the context and the meaning of what is being communicated.

WS: What makes a YouTube video successful, and how should that success be measured?
ROBERT: The most important factor is authenticity. If content has value, it will connect—but first, we need to understand what “quality content” really means. In this industry, production values are often mistaken for quality. Having five drones or the best cameras simply means the content is well produced.
What truly works, however, is authenticity. If the content is valuable and authentic, it will connect with audiences even with minimal production values. We see many common mistakes among new channels. For example, when a creator’s channel starts to grow, the first impulse is often to spend money on better microphones. That isn’t always necessary. A modern smartphone already offers more than enough quality to produce strong videos. The key question should be: Does this content resonate with me and with my audience? If the answer is yes and the content is authentic, it will find the right viewers and grow organically.

That’s why YouTube features such a wide spectrum of creators. Some film in selfie mode and achieve massive success, while others, like MrBeast, operate large-scale productions, full studios, and even produce reality-style shows on the platform. While high-end productions are impressive and creators are always encouraged to explore them, what matters most is the essence—content that connects with people and reflects an authentic voice.

To answer your question, there is no secret formula. Some audiences gravitate toward challenges, others toward ASMR or unboxing videos, and the range of formats is so broad that there is room for everyone. As long as there is a clear value proposition that offers something meaningful to the viewer, the content will find its audience.