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Shorts, showrunners and social TV: The new age of YouTube influence
From Shorts to 4K content, YouTube is evolving into a multi-format, big-screen destination — driving a new wave of professional creators, deeper brand partnerships, and game-changing audience strategies. YouTube Head of MCNs and Family Partners Spain & Portugal Pilar Sanchez explains how the platform’s evolution is luring established creators back to the platform and finding audiences for new players.
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How has YouTube’s algorithm evolved over the past couple of years, and what has been the impact on brands and creators?
YouTube’s algorithm is still mainly driven by viewer satisfaction. The whole idea is to keep people on the platform longer and maximise long-term satisfaction. All the signals we track — whether it’s watch history, searches, subscriptions, engagement, watch time — are related to this. One of the main changes recently has been how much weight we’re putting on how much a video is actually enjoyed. So not just that someone clicked on it, but that they commented, shared, or stuck around. It’s about trying to measure enjoyment, not just exposure.
There’s also this shift toward being a true multi-format platform — Shorts, long-form, live streaming, podcasts, music — it’s all there. YouTube's become this place where creators can express themselves in multiple ways. And the fact that a big percentage of the watch time is now on TV really changes the game. Creators are going back to long-form and some are even uploading in 4K, thinking about quality again. Many creators are coming back to YouTube and adopting a multi-format strategy. It’s not just about pumping out content anymore — it’s about producing for a much more immersive, big-screen experience.
What is driving the return to YouTube by increasingly professional creators?
The first reason is that the reach on YouTube is unmatched and creators realise that. Second, YouTube is still the only major platform that shares ad revenue. We’ve made it easier to qualify for monetisation through the Partner Program. I talk to a lot of TikTok creators who are blown away that we actually share money from ads — it’s a totally different model.
And the third thing is that creators are no longer just content creators — they’re directors, showrunners, producers. YouTube’s really become this new version of Hollywood. That’s not just a soundbite — we’re seeing it happen. Big companies are producing high-quality shows directly for YouTube. That shift wouldn’t have made sense five or ten years ago.
How is the trend towards YouTube on TV impacting the way creators and brands approach influencer marketing?
It’s not that the content itself has drastically changed — creators are still doing what they do — but the quality has increased. Bigger screens demand better visuals. People are watching full episodes and longer content, and it’s pushing creators to meet that expectation. There’s also a lot of growth in educational formats and podcast-style content.
YouTube is now competing with Netflix and HBO for time spent on the living room screen. It's no longer just about mobile scrolling. Viewers are actively choosing YouTube content for their evening entertainment. When creators know they’re being watched in the same context as The Last of Us on Netflix, it changes how they approach production.
What is driving the growth of podcast content on YouTube?
Podcasts are really surging on YouTube. One of the reasons is that our recommendation engine is more powerful than any other platform. On Spotify for example, it can be hard to find what you like, but YouTube uses your viewing history to surface relevant content. So if a creator you already follow launches a podcast, it’s immediately in your feed.
YouTube is a space where people already feel comfortable. They don’t need to open another app — you can watch, listen, switch formats — it’s all on YouTube. And creators are increasingly making that move. If someone follows a creator for their regular videos, and then that creator launches a podcast, it feels natural to click into that too.
The final piece is discovery. On YouTube, podcast discovery is easier because you can see clips, previews, and related content — and then go deeper. We’ve also seen that when video is added to audio-only podcasts, engagement rises. People sit on the couch, watch a full podcast — it’s part of that broader shift toward YouTube being a lean-back experience.
How are YouTube’s measurement and analytics evolving, and what advantages does this offer brands and creators?
The algorithm takes into account a lot of new metrics that are all related to user satisfaction. For creators, we are going from views, watch time and CTR to new audience segmentation. New versus returning viewers, subscriber activity, what other channels and content your audience is engaging with when they’re online.
We show what other channels your viewers are watching, what other videos they’re interested in, and when they’re active — which helps creators decide when to publish, what tone to use, and even who to potentially collaborate with.
We’ve added metrics like audience retention graphs, drop-off points, key rewatch moments — so creators can actually learn what’s working and what’s not. For Shorts, we now differentiate between a view and an engaged view. That’s really important because not every view is equal, and brands are starting to get that.
There’s also new inspiration tools powered by AI — pulling transcript data and identifying topic trends — that can help creators generate ideas based on what their audience is watching.
How are Shorts performing, and what impact are they having on creators' broader strategies?
Shorts is at around 2 billion views per day. Something interesting we’ve seen is a change of user behaviour. They are moving from only watching the long-format to the Short.
At first, long-form creators were losing some engagement to Shorts, but now I would say the majority are doing both. The algorithms for Shorts and long-form used to be separate, but now they inform each other. If your Short performs well, it can boost your long-form, and vice versa.
It also lowered the barrier to entry. TikTok and Instagram creators who weren’t sure how to move into YouTube can start with Shorts. And long-form YouTubers are using Shorts to test ideas, reach new audiences, and promote their longer videos.
Shorts have also become a way to test themes or content areas that creators might not risk in a 10-minute upload. It’s a low-risk format to try something new — and it works.
Some creators cross-post their TikToks to test what sticks. That’s a fine place to start — YouTube isn’t TikTok, and you’ll learn what works here quickly.
But the more established creators are getting more strategic. They’re using Shorts to experiment, to revive older content, or to promo new drops. I’ve even seen creators use Shorts to test new verticals — someone who usually does food content dipping into beauty just to see how it lands.
How has this evolution impacted smaller or niche creators?
The algorithm works really well to help niche creators find their audience — and Shorts helps accelerate that. Getting traction as a new channel is hard, but one viral Short can help people understand what you talk about.
Mid-sized creators are often more trusted. They’re not doing constant brand deals, so their audiences really believe them. On YouTube, creators don’t rely solely on sponsored posts — they earn revenue from views. That lets them be more selective with brand work, which ultimately feels more authentic.
That’s why when a YouTube creator promotes something, their audience listens. It’s also why we push for longer-term brand partnerships — not just one-off posts. You get more alignment, more trust, and better results.
How is YouTube supporting creators in localising content for broader audiences, especially in Europe?
Take Spain, for example — over 70% of the watch time for Spanish creators comes from outside Spain. Spain and the UK are two of the biggest content exporters on the platform.
We’ve had automatic subtitles for a while, and last year we launched multi-language audio uploads, so creators can add tracks in other languages to the same video.
We’ve launched a tool called Aloud that automatically translates videos into multiple languages. That’s going to be huge. It means a French or Spanish creator can suddenly reach the US or Brazil without needing to redo anything manually.
This isn’t just about reach — it affects monetisation too. For example, CPMs in Latin America are five times lower than in Spain. So Spanish creators with huge audiences in Latin America weren’t seeing that reflected in their revenue. With Aloud, they can now reach higher-CPM markets more easily and earn more fairly. It levels the playing field.
English-language creators might see slightly lower CPMs if they expand into lower-income markets — but for most non-English creators, this is going to be a big positive shift.
About Kolsquare
Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, offering a data-driven solution that empowers brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies through authentic partnerships with top creators.
Kolsquare’s advanced technology helps marketing professionals seamlessly identify the best content creators by filtering their content and audience, while also enabling them to build, manage, and optimize campaigns from start to finish. This includes measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors.
With a thriving global community of influencer marketing experts, Kolsquare serves hundreds of customers—including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès—by leveraging the latest Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies. Our platform taps into an extensive network of KOLs with more than 5,000 followers across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.
As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare leads the way in promoting Responsible Influence, championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations that inspire positive change.
Since October 2024, Kolsquare has become part of the Team.Blue group, one of the largest private tech companies in Europe, and a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe. Team.Blue brings together over 60 successful brands in web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation, application solutions, and social media.
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