YouTube at 20: How big-budget content and podcasts are shaping influence

From the first 18-second video about an elephant, via 100M+ views of Gangnam Style, and the phenomenon that is Mr Beast, YouTube’s calling card in 2025 is less about short-term virality and more about long-term cultural relevance. 

As big-budget, made-for-TV content and podcast videos drive the platform’s rapid evolution as a cultural touchpoint, Shorts is delivering new audiences to long-format content. 

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this month, the time is ripe to examine how and why YouTube has evolved from a place not only to discover creators, but into one where audiences go to build deeper relationships with them … and what it means for influence marketers.

In this interview with Kolsquare, UK-born global social media and influencer marketing agency and YouTube specialists Socially Powerful Head of Talent Management Curtis Morton breaks down how YouTube’s transformation is reshaping creator collaborations and where the smartest opportunities lie for brands looking to drive long-term impact. 

How has YouTube evolved over the past 2 years? What is the platform’s unique strength compared to other platforms when it comes to influencer marketing?

YouTube has evolved from a video hosting platform into a complete ecosystem integrating content, community, and monetisation pathways. Over the past two years, there have been several strategic developments that have reshaped its position in the digital landscape.

Firstly, the push for YouTube Shorts. While introduced globally in 2021, Shorts has matured into a discovery engine that effectively funnels viewers from digestible short-form content into creators’ long-form offerings – creating that seamless content journey rather than cloning TikTok’s offering. 

Simultaneously, YouTube has successfully executed its long-term living room strategy. If you look back over a decade, YouTube and Google set their sights on dominating the living room. Since 2021, the platform doubled its share of US television watch time from 6% to 12%, surpassing Netflix at 7.9%. 

This shift reflects YouTube’s ability to deliver episodic content that aligns with evolving consumption patterns, particularly among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who prefer targeted, efficient content experiences over commitment-heavy streaming options. 

Instead of spending meal time scrolling through an endless bank of content on Netflix and Prime, committing to a 1-hour-long episodic series or a movie, they’d rather find something quick and something sure to land well. 

While Netflix and Prime are grabbing to reclaim watch time through Mr Beast Games on Prime or the latest Sidemen Inside, exclusively on Netflix, YouTube maintains its advantage through native creator ecosystems offering behind-the-scenes content and a predominantly free all-access model. Especially at a time when streaming services are constantly upping costs.

When it comes to influencer marketing, YouTube’s strength is depth and trust. 

Why do you think long-form content still performs so well, even as other platforms push short-form?

Long-form content maintains its effectiveness by delivering elements that short-form content simply cannot provide: narrative depth, contextual richness, and emotional connection. The initial discovery of a creator may occur through that 15-second Short, but audience loyalty develops through immersive long-form experiences that enable sophisticated storytelling, comprehensive education, and nuanced brand integration opportunities. 

The format also evokes a sense of nostalgia as the established content model preceding the short-form revolution. While short-form content addresses attention constraints and is an empowering style of content (as we’ve seen over the past five years), long-form content delivers the authenticity we all crave to see online, offering respite from short-form saturation.

Episodic content represents a particularly robust growth area. Channel innovators like Jubilee, Nectar, and Poppies Studios have pioneered content frameworks such as 'odd one out,' 'dating irl,' and 'hot takes' specifically engineered for Gen Z engagement. Established creators like The Sidemen demonstrate the long-term viability of consistent episodic formats through their iconic Sunday series maintained across years.

Has YouTube’s growing dominance in podcasting and TV-style content impacted brands’ influence strategies?

We’re witnessing increased investment in creator-led podcasts, recurring episodic formats, and production values comparable to traditional broadcast, not merely for advertising purposes but to co-create content that resonates authentically with audiences. 

At Socially Powerful, we’ve responded by launching SP: Studios, our dedicated podcast and media house enables us to control the conversation. Our first project, Behind The Screens, was designed from the ground up for YouTube, with TV-like quality, genuine, thoughtful structure, and storytelling that works natively on the platform.

After 25 episodes, the show has racked up 750,000 long-form watches and over 7.5 million short-form views, organically growing a community, not just an audience. It’s the kind of content brands want to partner with because it delivers deeper engagement, evergreen watchability, and a more natural, meaningful connection with viewers.

When working with creators, how do you approach the mix between Shorts and long-form content?

When working with creators, we don’t see shorts and long-form as competing formats, but different weapons in our arsenal to deliver results. Shorts function as the hook, the scroll-stopper, that pulls new audiences in. We use them to test content themes, boost discoverability, and drive traffic to the creator's deeper content. Long-form is where you build depth, loyalty, and narrative. 

Within this approach, we commonly build out a campaign ladder:

• Start with Shorts for reach and engagement
• Lead into long-form for education and story
• Tie it all together with a CTA to convert the audience. 

The real magic happens when the content formats are working together rather than in silo.