Global, the UK Media and Entertainment group, on 19 May 2026 announced it will sell premium video advertising directly across its YouTube content network for the first time, placing it alongside ITV, Channel 4 and Sky as one of the only UK media owners with that capability - while also claiming a structural first: no other UK media owner bundles audio, outdoor and video into a single commercial proposition.

What Global announced on 19 May

The move gives advertisers the ability to buy spot advertising within Global's YouTube-hosted shows on a direct basis, bypassing the platform's standard auction-based sales routes. According to Global, the network that becomes available to buyers spans more than 16 million subscribers and 150 million monthly views. The inventory covers Global Original podcast shows - The News Agents, Up To Speed, and My Therapist Ghosted Me - as well as content from next-generation production groups The Fellas Studios and The Overlap, and video-first formats from Global's radio brands LBC and Capital.

The company simultaneously announced the creation of a dedicated Video Sales team to manage this new revenue stream. Fatima Dowlet, previously at Channel 4, joins Global as Director of Video Sales to lead the unit. Her appointment marks a direct transfer of broadcast television commercial expertise into a YouTube-native context.

The competitive position Global is staking out

Before this announcement, Global operated across two large media surfaces: radio and digital audio advertising through its proprietary platform DAX, and outdoor advertising through a UK network of more than 235,000 sites that, according to Global, reaches 95 percent of the UK population. DAX connects advertisers with an audience of more than 130 million people worldwide, handling targeted advertising insertion into music streaming, connected radio and podcasts, as well as programmatic outdoor.

Adding direct YouTube sales makes Global the only UK media owner, according to its own characterisation of the market, able to offer audio, outdoor and premium video in a single commercial relationship. The three broadcasters it joins in having direct YouTube sales capability - ITV, Channel 4, and Sky - do not operate comparable outdoor estates. That triangulation of channels is the commercial argument underpinning the announcement.

Simon Pitts, Group CEO at Global, said: "Global is now home to some of the biggest podcast shows on YouTube, from Global Originals like The News Agents, My Therapist Ghosted Me and Up To Speed, to fan favourites from The Fellas Studios, so selling our premium video inventory direct on YouTube was the natural next step. We are now the only UK media owner where advertisers can access premium audio, video and outdoor at scale, all in one place. This move also cements Global Studios as a true one-stop-shop for podcast shows, where the best creators can access market-leading production and monetisation and connect their shows with the biggest audiences."

Mike Gordon, Chief Commercial Officer at Global, said: "Advertisers will now be able to access premium, targeted spot advertising within Global's most popular shows and brands, as well as integrate YouTube inventory into broader multi-platform partnership campaigns. We can work with clients to extend campaigns into premium video, increasing reach, impact and effectiveness."

Alison Lomax, Managing Director of YouTube UK, said: "Global's progressive strategy to invest deeply in YouTube creators and world-class studios is a testament to their forward-thinking approach to modern media. By building a rich, highly engaged content network, they have created a powerful ecosystem where talent and audiences thrive. We are thrilled to see them build on this further, transforming that creative investment into a robust monetization strategy that unlocks incredible premium video opportunities for UK advertisers."

The content network that sits beneath the sales capability

Understanding the scale of what Global is now selling requires some clarity on the content infrastructure it has built on YouTube over several years. Global Studios - the group's production and talent arm - operates what it describes as the UK's No.1 home for podcast creators, although this ranking relates to its own dataset and positioning rather than an independently verified market-wide measure.

The Fellas Studios and The Overlap are described as next-generation production groups, representing a newer creative tier within the Global portfolio. These sit alongside Global Originals, which are shows commissioned or co-developed by Global itself. My Therapist Ghosted Me is one of the most prominent Global Original podcast franchises. Up To Speed is a new F1-focused show. The News Agents, which covers UK and international politics and current affairs, has built a substantial YouTube presence.

Beyond these originals, the 150 million monthly view figure also incorporates viral video output from Global's radio brands. LBC and Capital, two of the UK's best-known radio stations, produce clip-format and long-form video content for YouTube that accumulates significant viewership independently of the podcast originals.

According to Global, the long-standing relationship with YouTube extends further than content. The two companies have previously collaborated on live-streamed events, including Capital's Summertime Ball and Jingle Bell Balls, which have been distributed through YouTube to audiences beyond those attending in person.

How the commercial product works in practice

The new capability creates two distinct buying paths for advertisers and agencies. The first is direct spot advertisingwithin Global's most popular shows and brands, meaning pre-roll or mid-roll placements inside specific YouTube content. This mirrors the kind of contextual adjacency that characterises premium broadcast TV sales - a brand appearing within The News Agents reaches a demonstrably different audience profile than it would through a broad-reach YouTube programmatic campaign.

The second path is integration of YouTube inventory into wider multi-platform commercial partnerships. According to Global, this allows buyers to build campaigns that span audio, outdoor and video within a single commercial conversation, rather than negotiating separately across DAX, the outdoor estate and a YouTube placement. That integration proposition is novel in the UK market by structure, even if the individual components have existed independently.

The flexibility has specific implications for media agencies handling large national clients. A single insertion order or partnership agreement could, in principle, deliver reach across commuters passing a Global outdoor screen, listeners of LBC or Capital on digital audio, podcast audiences on the Global Player app, and YouTube viewers consuming The News Agents or Up To Speed - all attributed back to a single commercial relationship.

Why this matters for the marketing community

UK podcast advertising is growing fast, and the structural gap between audio consumption and advertising investment has been a recurring theme in industry data through 2025 and into 2026. According to Edison Research data covered by PPC Land, monthly podcast consumption hit 51 percent among UK adults aged 16 and older by mid-2025, with 25 million estimated consumers engaging with the medium. YouTube captured 20 percent of UK podcast platform usage in that same data set, sitting behind Spotify at 33 percent but significantly ahead of Apple Podcasts.

The UK podcast advertising market recorded 32 percent year-over-year growth in Q4 2025, and global podcast advertising reached $408 million in December 2025 - the highest single month recorded in the Magellan AI dataset. Against that backdrop, new direct-sales inventory from a network with 150 million monthly views represents a meaningful addition to what UK buyers can purchase on negotiated terms rather than auction.

The premium video dimension matters separately. PPC Land reported on the SiriusXM-YouTube deal announced in April 2026, which gives SiriusXM Media exclusive U.S. audio advertising representation for YouTube's audio-first inventory starting fall 2026. The Global deal is architecturally different - it concerns video inventory in the UK market, sold on a direct basis within specific premium content rather than through a platform-wide audio representation arrangement. But both developments point in the same direction: the period in which YouTube inventory was primarily accessed through Google's own programmatic infrastructure is giving way to a more distributed, partner-led commercial model.

Smart TVs overtook computers as Britain's second podcast screen in March 2026 data from Signal Hill and FlightStory, which complicates the traditional separation between podcast buyers and video buyers. If a meaningful share of The News Agents' YouTube audience is watching on a television rather than a mobile phone, the distinction between a podcast ad buy and a connected TV placement becomes less categorical than planning systems currently treat it.

Audioboom's Q1 2026 revenue growth of 30 percent - a company with its own UK podcast network - also illustrates the competitive environment into which Global is moving. Audioboom, whose Adelicious acquisition in July 2025 created what it described as the UK's largest homegrown podcast network, has been pursuing video monetisation as a distinct revenue strategy. Global's direct YouTube sales capability enters a market that is actively being claimed by multiple operators.

A Sounds Profitable study covered by PPC Land found that UK podcast ads beat television on reach, with 44 percent of listeners reporting a purchase as a result of a podcast advertisement. The Politics and Current Affairs genre - directly relevant to The News Agents and LBC content - was characterised in that study as underbought relative to its audience quality. Global's direct sales entry into that content category could alter how buyers price and plan within the genre.

Global's broader footprint

Global's company headquarters sits in Leicester Square in London. The company was founded in 2007 by Ashley Tabor-King, who holds the title of Founder and Executive President. Simon Pitts is Group CEO, Stephen Miron is Chair, and James Rea is Chief Content Officer. On-air, on Global Player and with its outdoor platforms combined, Global reaches 51 million individuals across the UK every week, including 29 million on radio alone, according to RAJAR/Ipsos-MORI/RSMB Q1 2026 data cited by Global.

Global Player, the company's proprietary app available across iOS, Android, web and smart speakers, serves as the distribution layer for Global's audio and video content. The app aggregates Global's radio brands, podcast catalogue, and curated playlists in one place. The outdoor estate, which includes Transport for London's Underground network, major UK airports, roadside posters and digital screens, operates across more than 235,000 sites.

DAX, Global's proprietary digital audio advertising technology, handles the programmatic side of the audio business. According to Global, the platform connects advertisers with more than 130 million people worldwide, with capabilities spanning dynamic ad insertion into music streaming, connected radio and podcasts, alongside programmatic outdoor. The addition of direct YouTube video sales sits alongside DAX rather than through it - these are negotiated direct deals, not programmatic transactions.

Timeline

Summary

Who: Global, the UK Media and Entertainment group founded in 2007 and headquartered at Leicester Square, London, operating under Group CEO Simon Pitts. Fatima Dowlet, previously at Channel 4, joins as Director of Video Sales. Alison Lomax is Managing Director of YouTube UK.

What: Global announced it will directly sell premium video advertising across its YouTube content network for the first time. The network spans more than 16 million subscribers and 150 million monthly views, encompassing Global Originals such as The News Agents, Up To Speed and My Therapist Ghosted Me, production groups The Fellas Studios and The Overlap, and video from radio brands LBC and Capital. A dedicated Video Sales team has been created to handle the commercial operation.

When: The announcement was made on Tuesday, 19 May 2026.

Where: Global operates from its London headquarters; the YouTube content network is distributed globally, with primary audience concentration in the UK. The commercial offering is aimed at UK advertisers and agencies.

Why: According to Global, the move creates a new commercial proposition for UK advertisers: the ability to access premium audio via DAX, outdoor advertising via Global's 235,000-plus site estate, and now premium YouTube video, all within a single commercial relationship. According to Global, no other UK media owner offers this combination. The move also adds direct video monetisation to Global Studios' existing audio sales capability, production infrastructure and distribution network, extending the revenue options available to podcast creators working within the Global ecosystem.