Who are YouTube’s ‘brightest stars’ of 2015?

YouTube has previously chosen to spotlight channels such as Zoeella, VICE News, and the SlowMoGuys, turning them into household names. Who are this year’s stars?

The video streaming site has announced it will be running an advertising campaign to promote SORTED food and Copa90 as its ‘brightest stars of this year.

 

The data behind the YouTube stars

In Europe, over three million creators are now making money on YouTube, and in the UK the YouTube Partners programme generated over £55 million in economic activity in 2014.

“This campaign will highlight the creativity of some of the UK’s best creators, taking their content to a wider public in the process, and demonstrating the opportunity for brands to learn from and collaborate with these channels to reach new audiences”, said a spokesperson for YouTube.

With over a billion users worldwide, YouTube is allowing creators to cross the boundaries of time and space. Content production is also prolific – over 400 hours of content are being uploaded to YouTube every minute. As this campaign launches, time spent on YouTube continues to grow – watch-time is up 60% year-over-year, the fastest growth in 2 years.

Both SORTEDfood and Copa90 have amassed over one million active subscribers to their channels respectively, notching up hundreds of millions of views, albeit through very different approaches in style and subject matter.

 

Who are Copa90?

Describing their mission as “to reclaim football for the fans by creating the home of global football culture”, Copa90’s content tells the stories, heroes the characters and hosts the conversations that preoccupy football fans far beyond the 90 minutes of the match. Fronted by charismatic presenter Eli Menghem, their content tackles the issues – comic and serious – that unite football fans around the world.

 

Who are SORTED food?

SORTEDfood have built one of the biggest online food communities in the world, with over 550 recipes published, a SORTEDfood app created and a satellite presence in Brazil. Started in 2010 by four school friends who began posting videos of themselves experimenting with recipes on YouTube, the channel is today a destination for camaraderie and cooking. Driven by the simple belief that cooking together makes life better, Sorted Food’s community-led content is driving a new generation of food fans.

 

Campaign strategy

Through the campaign, focused on video and mobile, ads will run on partner websites including ITV, Channel 4, BT Sport, Time Out and The Guardian, as well as on Google’s own properties. Campaign assets will also appear on ‘Silicon Roundabout’ in Old Street as well as on other digital billboard and tube station placements in London, including Waterloo and Liverpool Street Stations.

YouTube’s Head of Marketing in EMEA, Rich Waterworth, comments:

“Our creators and their passionate communities span the world and are the foundation of YouTube. We’re host to a very diverse group of people and voices, but YouTube creators are unified by authenticity and their ability to connect with their fans in an honest and personal way. The creators in this campaign are shining examples of just such authenticity and creativity.

“Inspired by food and football respectively, SORTEDfood and Copa90 breathe new life into these Great British passions, creating content that inspires millions to subscribe to their channels and tune in week-on-week. We’re so excited to spotlight these two UK creators, born and grown on YouTube, and hope that yet more people can enjoy their content and creativity.”