Brandcast is YouTube's annual presentation to advertisers and agencies: a staged evening in New York where the Google-owned platform sets out its audience claims, its creator talent and its new advertising products ahead of the television buying season. It exists because YouTube wants a larger share of the budgets committed months in advance through the upfront, the advance-selling market long dominated by broadcast and cable networks. Networks use their presentations to sell shows. YouTube uses Brandcast to sell the idea that a platform built on creator uploads deserves television money.

The name refers to a company event, not a transaction type, a protocol or a buying product. Nothing is traded on stage. What Brandcast does is frame the negotiations that follow and announce the inventory packages, formats and measurement claims on which those negotiations rely.

How the event feeds the buying cycle

The sequence has become predictable. Roughly six weeks ahead, YouTube publishes a save-the-date post on its official blog. For 2026, Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle, Vice President of YouTube Ads Marketing, posted it on April 1, naming the date, the venue, the presenters and the talent. PPC Land's report on that announcement recorded two figures used in the run-up: a Nielsen reach number and more than $100 billion paid to creators since 2021.

The evening itself combines a red-carpet pre-show, executive keynotes, creator segments and a headline music act, starting at 5:30pm ET in the two most recent editions, according to YouTube. Product announcements are published the same day on the YouTube Official Blog, Google's Keyword blog and Think with Google. The event is also livestreamed for advertisers who do not attend.

What happens afterwards matters more for the ledger. Over the following weeks, agency trading desks and brand marketers negotiate annual commitments with Google's sales teams. The core inventory in those talks has, since 2020, been YouTube Select, a curated tier that packages the top 5% of popular channels into category lineups such as sports, music, beauty and gaming. Select placements and First Position, which guarantees the first in-stream ad of a session, have been bookable at a fixed cost per thousand impressions (CPM) through Google Ads and Display & Video 360 (DV360), Google's demand-side platform (DSP). That reservation model differs from the auction that prices most YouTube inventory. Sponsorship packages tied to tentpole events sit alongside it.

Upfront deals conventionally carry audience guarantees, with compensation owed when delivery falls short. YouTube's equivalent dates to Google Preferred, which launched with Nielsen-backed guarantees, according to Broadcasting & Cable. Individual contract terms are not published.

Origin and evolution

YouTube staged the first Brandcast on May 2, 2012, at New York's Beacon Theatre before about 1,000 advertisers, agencies and content partners, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The event belonged to the inaugural Digital Content NewFronts, a coordinated series whose founding partners included AOL, Hulu, Microsoft Advertising, Yahoo, Digitas and Google, according to Tubefilter. The pitch that year centred on original channels funded through a $100 million programme.

The 2014 edition, held on April 30 at the Madison Square Garden Theater before more than 2,200 attendees, introduced Google Preferred. Advertising on the top 5% of channels across 14 categories was ring-fenced for buyers committing in advance, with channels ranked by a "P Score" weighing repeat viewing, session length and social sharing, according to Tubefilter. Variety reported that the move answered marketer complaints about access to top-tier channels. A London Brandcast in Battersea brought the product to the UK that October.

Brand safety came next. After advertisers found their spots beside objectionable videos in 2017, Google moved Google Preferred to manual curation in January 2018. That May, the seventh Brandcast moved to the 6,000-seat Radio City Music Hall, where Susan Wojcicki, then chief executive, spent much of her opening on the subject, according to Deadline.

On May 19, 2020, YouTube announced YouTube Select as Google Preferred's replacement. The new tier added connected television (CTV) packages and went global, whereas its predecessor had been limited to a handful of markets including the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, according to Search Engine Land. The pandemic pushed that year's event online. "Brandcast Delivered", released on June 25, swapped a live show of roughly 90 minutes for thousands of personalised 20-minute streams, according to the production's Shorty Awards entry.

The decisive calendar change was announced on February 24, 2022. Google said Brandcast would, for the first time, take place during upfront week rather than NewFronts week, on May 17 that year, at the Imperial Theatre in Times Square. In 2023 the event moved to Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall, and on October 30, 2023, YouTube disclosed a three-year agreement keeping it there through 2026.

Announcements tilted steadily towards the living room. In 2023, YouTube introduced 30-second non-skippable ads in Select on CTV, replacing two back-to-back 15-second spots, and said Select was landing more than 70% of its impressions on TV screens. The 2024 slate added creator takeovers and branded QR codes. On May 14, 2025, the list comprised Cultural Moments Sponsorships, Peak Points, a Gemini-built product placing ads after high-engagement moments, an immersive Masthead on CTV, and Shoppable CTV.

Google also runs regional editions. India's 2025 Brandcast was summarised by Google on September 11, 2025.

Why buyers pay attention

Brandcast makes a category argument rather than a programming one. Variety observed in 2024 that other media companies used the week to unveil shows while YouTube used it to compare its reach and engagement with traditional television.

The evidence behind that argument has strengthened. YouTube took 13.8% of US television watch-time in May 2026, the largest share of any distributor in Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge for a third consecutive month. YouTube advertising revenue of $9.88 billion in the first quarter of 2026 gave the platform unusual leverage in that season's negotiations, executives told Digiday. Second-quarter revenue reached $11.1 billion, up 13%.

Timing adds weight. In 2026, Fox, NBCUniversal, Amazon, Disney and Netflix all presented in the same week, and buyers compared the offers side by side. Creator marketing rides the same current: a week before the event, YouTube sent advertisers a playbook built around its Bring, Build, Boost framework.

Limitations and disputes

Most Brandcast numbers are self-reported or commissioned by Google. They also move. PPC Land's April report cited Nielsen reach of more than 238 million US adults; the same YouTube blog post, as accessed in September 2026, reads 244 million. The $100 billion creator figure has prompted debate over whether revenue sharing counts as content investment.

Rival sellers contest the premise that YouTube attention matches television attention. A February 2026 study from the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) and TVision put co-viewing at 60% on premium video against 45% on YouTube, with sessions of one hour 18 minutes against 52 minutes. VAB represents premium television providers, a commercial interest that shapes its framing. The same organisation accused Nielsen of delaying a February 2026 Gauge edition, a charge that reaches the measurement YouTube cites on stage.

A second weakness is the gap between announcement and availability. Google told Indian advertisers in September 2025 that Peak Points would roll out the following year. The 30-second CTV format announced in 2023 was described as rolling out globally only in March 2026, according to AdGuard. Automation raises its own questions: Custom Sponsorships, announced in 2026, reduces buyers' direct control over placement, and Google published no conversion data for its CTV checkout.

Even the event's numbering is inconsistent. Search Engine Journal called the 2024 edition the 13th annual Brandcast, counting from 2012, while Google's 2025 recap described that year's event as the fourth, apparently counting from the move to upfront week.

Not to be confused with

Upfront. The market in which advance commitments are negotiated. Brandcast is one presentation within it, not a synonym.

NewFronts. The IAB's digital video marketplace, which hosted Brandcast from 2012 until 2021. Google now stages a separate NewFront focused on its buying tools; the 2026 edition, on March 23 at Pier 57, centred on DV360 rather than YouTube talent.

Google Marketing Live. Google's annual product event for performance advertisers, concerned with search, shopping and campaign automation rather than upfront commitments.

YouTube Select. The premium inventory tier sold in upfront talks. Brandcast is where it is pitched; Select is what is bought.

Recent developments

Brandcast 2026 took place on May 13 at Lincoln Center, hosted by Trevor Noah with a performance by Chappell Roan. Sean Downey, Google's President of Americas and Global Partners, published a slate that included Buy with Google Pay, a two-click checkout on CTV screens, AI-assisted Custom Sponsorships, Creator Affiliate Partnerships Boost, Multimodal Video Creation, and Costco and Dollar General data inside DV360's Commerce Media Suite. A day later, YouTube added conversational AI search and family groups to its TV app.

The television pitch has continued since. In July, YouTube agreed a deal to bundle ad-supported Peacock with YouTube Premium from 2027. The Lincoln Center agreement covered editions only through 2026, and as of September 2026 no date or venue for Brandcast 2027 had been announced in the sources reviewed.

Timeline

  • May 2, 2012: First YouTube Brandcast at the Beacon Theatre, New York, during the inaugural Digital Content NewFronts
  • April 30, 2014: Google Preferred introduced at Brandcast, Madison Square Garden Theater
  • October 2014: London Brandcast launches Google Preferred in the UK
  • January 2018: Google moves Google Preferred to manual curation
  • May 2018: Seventh Brandcast held at Radio City Music Hall
  • May 19, 2020: YouTube Select announced as Google Preferred's replacement
  • June 25, 2020: Brandcast Delivered released as a personalised digital event
  • February 24, 2022: Google moves Brandcast to upfront week
  • May 17, 2022: First upfront-week Brandcast, Imperial Theatre
  • May 17, 2023: First Brandcast at David Geffen Hall; 30-second non-skippable CTV ads announced for YouTube Select
  • October 30, 2023: Three-year David Geffen Hall agreement announced, running through 2026
  • May 15, 2024: Brandcast 2024 adds creator takeovers and branded QR codes
  • May 14, 2025: Peak Points, Cultural Moments Sponsorships, Masthead on CTV and Shoppable CTV announced
  • September 11, 2025: Google summarises Brandcast 2025 in India
  • February 24, 2026: VAB and TVision publish a CTV attention comparison with YouTube
  • April 1, 2026: Brandcast 2026 date, venue and lineup announced
  • May 13, 2026: Brandcast 2026 announces Buy with Google Pay on CTV and Custom Sponsorships
  • July 28, 2026: Nielsen reports YouTube at 13.8% of US television watch-time for May

Summary

Who. YouTube and Google stage Brandcast, with Neal Mohan, Mary Ellen Coe and Sean Downey presenting in recent years and Anne Marie Nelson-Bogle announcing each edition. The audience is brand marketers, agency buyers and media partners. Creators and musicians provide the entertainment; rival sellers such as VAB members dispute its claims.

What. YouTube's annual upfront presentation, used to argue for television budgets and to announce inventory packages, formats and measurement claims that feed advance buying commitments. It trades nothing itself.

When. First held on May 2, 2012, during NewFronts; moved to upfront week in 2022; most recently held on May 13, 2026.

Where. New York, at the Beacon Theatre, Madison Square Garden Theater, Radio City Music Hall, the Imperial Theatre and, from 2023 to 2026, Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall. Regional editions run in markets including the UK and India.

Why. Upfront commitments lock in a large share of annual television spending months ahead. Brandcast is YouTube's route to that money, and its announcements shape how YouTube Select, sponsorships and CTV formats are bought for the following year.