The Guardian has a proven track record of being a digital pioneer, embracing opportunities to be a part of the wider web, and moving beyond a single domain name.
Our latest project, to relaunch the Guardian's YouTube channel, is a continuation of this philosophy of broadening our audiences while delivering new revenue.
When most people speak about online video they really mean YouTube. With more than 25 million UK users and 693 million global users, it makes it one of the most important growth platforms for the Guardian's video content. As a platform, YouTube is ideal for showcasing our content, enabling users to discover our latest films and to explore our rich video archive.
The Guardian has already had success working with YouTube on specific projects. Our Three Little Pigs ad has been viewed more than a million times on the platform, and in March we partnered with YouTube to broadcast a day of behind-the-scenes live-streaming of the Royal Ballet. Building on these successes, we now want to engage the YouTube audience with the full range of our content.
We have identified the opportunity to take a new approach to the way we publish and curate our YouTube channel. We have enlisted the services of a specialist agency called Rightster, which is experienced in helping large publishers, including ITN, to utilise the YouTube platform to its fullest potential.
Working with Rightster's team, the Guardian will accelerate the volume and frequency of our video programming, driving awareness, views and subscriptions. Rightster will help us sell the specialist YouTube advertising formats in collaboration with our own sales team and help support our syndication efforts. In the medium term, Rightster's technology can also form the foundation for a wider video distribution platform across our multiple partners.
