YouTube's managing director in France and South Europe, Justine Ryst, spoke at a fireside chat hosted at Series Mania in Lille.
Plus IconElsa Keslassy
International Correspondent
@elsakeslassy See All
Getty Images A week after Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos called YouTube a “straightforward direct competitor,” the platform’s managing director in France and South Europe Justine Ryst proved him right as she unpacked YouTube’s strategy in the content business and global reach.
Speaking at a fireside chat hosted at Series Mania in Lille, the Paris-based executive said YouTube paid out more than $100 billion to creators, artists and media companies between 2021 and 2025. That figure outpaces Netflix’s estimated $79.5 billion in cash content spending over the same period. She said the comparison with Netflix highlights YouTube’s growing weight in the global content economy, even as it stops short of acting as a conventional commissioner. “YouTube doesn’t buy upfront and doesn’t commission content as a broadcaster or streaming platform do, but we pay back more than half of our revenue to the right owners who are behind the YouTube channels,” she said.
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