YouTube chief Neal Mohan saw a problem. Creators who grew up on his platform began signing deals with Netflix. The same video. Two platforms.
Bloomberg first reported, on 19 August 2026, that YouTube is offering selected creators millions of dollars. In return it wants them to publish new videos only on YouTube for a certain period. The platform already pays creators a share of advertising revenue and brokers their brand partnerships.
Netflix licenses YouTubers' videos
Netflix has been building a library of YouTube videos for several years. Since January 2025 it has offered educational videos for the youngest viewers of the Ms. Rachel channel. According to the newsletter Like & Subscribe, science popularizer Mark Rober and other family creators followed. In July 2026, non-exclusive deals with creators such as Rhett & Link, the Stokes Twins, Alan Chikin Chow and chef Nick DiGiovanni came within a few days, one after another.
Creators can therefore publish the same videos on YouTube and Netflix at the same time. According to Bloomberg, for videos they would have made anyway, they receive millions of dollars extra and gain new viewers. Netflix does, however, want to receive videos from creators several days in advance, and asks them to remove some sponsored segments. Some creators have already decided not to work with Netflix.
For Netflix this is a favourable deal. According to TheWrap, it can license creators' libraries and their regular episodes for a fraction of the cost of producing series such as “The Night Agent” or “Bridgerton”. It also gains shows that already have their own audience.
Millions of dollars for temporary exclusivity
Mohan and his team, according to Bloomberg, concluded that simultaneous publishing of videos on YouTube and Netflix is a problem that needs solving. When the same video is also available on Netflix, YouTube has a harder time persuading advertisers of its value. The same may apply to campaigns that brands order from creators through the Creator Partnerships platform.
According to Bloomberg, the money could take various forms. For some shows, YouTube is discussing direct funding. It also offers creators a share of large deals with brands.
According to Like & Subscribe, the offers involve around 15 creators. The amounts, according to one of the newsletter's sources, start in the low millions of dollars and can reach around $10 million. YouTube declined to comment on the information.
Less promotion for simultaneous publishing on Netflix
Creators who continue to publish new videos simultaneously on Netflix, according to Bloomberg, must reckon with YouTube including them less often in marketing campaigns and presenting them at events. They may also lose a share of the revenue from some large brand campaigns.
As of 19 August, according to Bloomberg, no exclusive deal had been signed. Talks with several partners, however, were close to completion.
At the beginning of September, according to TheWrap, YouTube rejected claims that it would punish creators who do not accept the offer. At advertiser events such as Brandcast, it will, according to the same source, prioritise creators who are stronger partners for the company. TheWrap adds that other media companies act similarly when they present their biggest stars to advertisers.
Competition for creators is getting more expensive
YouTube mainly attracts creators with a share of advertising income and with algorithmic recommendation. Direct payments, however, are not new, according to Bloomberg. It has previously offered money to creators who did not sign a deal with the rival startup Vessel, and it has also tried to fund its own shows. It still refuses, however, to take on the role of a studio that would finance shows while also setting their creative direction.
Netflix acts mainly as a buyer of finished shows that already have an audience on YouTube. YouTube therefore offers selected creators, alongside a share of advertising, direct payments. Creators are valuable capital for platforms, and the price of that capital has just risen.
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