YouTube offers millions of dollars to creators to edge out Netflix

YouTube has moved to offer millions of dollars to selected top creators in exchange for exclusivity on the platform to edge out Netflix as competition for creator-driven content escalates.

YouTube is offering creators the money to avoid working with Netflix, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter. YouTube reportedly asked the creators to upload videos to their channels for a specific period. The report did not specify the time frame.

According to the outlet, the financial incentives would come in different forms, including YouTube funding some content and allocating portions of major brand deals to creators.

It reported that the deals had not yet been finalised, but YouTube and some creators were close to reaching agreements.

Business Insider also reported that YouTube was in talks with “a handful” of creators and that no deadline had been set to finalise the agreements, with one offer reportedly worth “in the millions” in exchange for exclusivity on the video platform.

The move comes amid Netflix’s growing efforts to secure content from top creators and licence it on its platform. This further expands competition with YouTube for creator-driven audiences.

Netflix, known primarily for acquiring films and television shows, integrated a podcast section into its streaming app in 2026.

It also signed deals with ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast’ and ‘The Breakfast Club’. Both shows were available on YouTube, but under agreements with the creators, Netflix required that they be removed from YouTube.

It has also licensed content from Ms Rachel and Salish Matter, whose content appears on Netflix and YouTube.

“We want to be in business with the best creators on the planet, wherever they are,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said earlier this year. Mr Sarandos had also insisted that Netflix was superior to YouTube, saying, “I think we’re a better monetisation model.”