{
  "id": 16336634,
  "title": "Medien: Deutsche TV-Sender fluten Youtube – trotz des Risikos",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/medien-deutsche-tv-sender-fluten-youtube-trotz-des-risikos",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-24T14:39:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/it-medien/medien-deutsche-tv-sender-fluten-youtube-trotz-des-risikos/100263241.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Deutsche TV stations are increasingly uploading their content to YouTube despite the risks, according to a recent report. RTL, for instance, garnered 30 million streams in a single year from old episodes of the action series \"Cobra 11\" on YouTube. This trend is not unique to RTL; ProSieben Sat.1 and RTL 2 have also been leveraging YouTube as a marketing and revenue model for years. Andreas Briese, Managing Director for YouTube in Germany, explains that this additional platform provides a way for broadcasters to monetize their content in an era where traditional TV advertising is declining. However, this strategy presents a dilemma: how much should broadcasters depend on YouTube's reach and how much of their original brand and creative content should they give away for free? At the same time, broadcasters are also exploiting YouTube through their own paid streaming apps like Joyn or RTL+. While all broadcasters now collaborate with YouTube to some extent, ARD and ZDF are particularly strong in this venture. ProSieben and RTL are even publishing entire episodes on the platform. YouTube, as a technical platform, lacks its own content and relies on creators to generate local, relevant material. YouTube Manager Andreas Briese notes that viewers actively search for content from TV stations on the platform, thus addressing a clear demand. However, broadcasters benefit from advertising revenue generated through YouTube. For instance, RTL 2 now generates a significant annual turnover from YouTube. Yet, this isn't entirely accurate, as YouTube shares advertising revenue equally with its partners. In terms of reporting, broadcasters must rely entirely on YouTube's own reports, which Braun, RTL 2's CEO, advocates for independent verification and alignment with AGF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Videoforschung) measurements. Additionally, broadcasters are dependent on YouTube's recommendation algorithms. Around 60% of RTL-2's YouTube content consumption is based on this algorithm. Any sudden changes could significantly impact their reach. YouTube Manager Briese also mentions that YouTube's algorithm remains a closely guarded business secret. Despite these challenges, broadcasters recognize the importance of YouTube for reaching younger and mobile audiences. They upload older content and use teaser clips or trailers for new content. ProSieben has been uploading older shows like \"Barbara Salesch,\" \"Klinik am Südring,\" and \"K11\" to YouTube for some time. While they aim to primarily showcase their own content, they upload older content that has already completed its lifecycle on their own channels to YouTube. This approach is likely to increase in the future as the media landscape becomes increasingly fragmented. Content broadcasters analyze optimal release times for their content, disseminated across various platforms in different lengths and formats, a practice known as \"windowing.\"",
  "summary": "Die Plattform bringt RTL und Pro Sieben Millionenumsätze und ein junges Publikum. Zugleich wächst die Abhängigkeit vom Algorithmus und von Zahlen, die die Sender nicht kontrollieren.",
  "key_points": [
    "Deutsche TV stations upload content to YouTube despite risks.",
    "RTL generated 30 million streams from Cobra 11 episodes on YouTube.",
    "ARD and ZDF are particularly strong in collaborating with YouTube."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}