Mar 29, 2023 - Economy

YouTube isn't a social media platform, company chief says

Herb Scribner

Axios' What's Next Summit in Washington, D.C. on March 29. Photo: Axios — YouTube head Neal Mohan at Axios' What's Next Summit in Washington, D.C., on March 29. Photo: Axios

YouTube is "not really a social media platform," but rather a place to connect with creators, company head Neal Mohan told Axios' Sara Fischer at the What's Next Summit.

Driving the news: "It’s a place where you come to consume all things video … that’s the core use case of what our platform is … as opposed to try and connect with your friends and sharing content with your friends," he said.

"When you are looking to connect with content through video, YouTube is the place you come to do that," he said.
"You're really there to connect with your favorite content creators, to really connect with the content that's in the video," he said.
He said "the magic of YouTube" happens when people connect with their favorite creators.

The big picture: The platform is finding its way into your living room, which is the company's "largest and fastest growing screen," Mohan said.

YouTube TV will be home to the NFL's Sunday Ticket package, which is YouTube's first real push into live sports. The company previously streamed some MLB games.

"YouTube is a place where there's a lot of sports consumption," Mohan said.

Though Mohan did not commit to not raising the prices again within the next year, he said he would commit to "an awesome experience for our customers and great add-on packages like Sunday Ticket. That's what I'm very excited about."

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Neal Mohan is the head of YouTube (not CEO).

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YouTube isn't a social media platform, company chief says

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