YouTube’s 2026 Brandcast Unveils Creator-Driven TV Slate

During the Brandcast upfront event on Wednesday, YouTube announced a slate of new creator-led series and framed the service as a television destination. The ceremony featured a performance by Zara Larsson and was hosted by former Daily Show anchor Trevor Noah. Executives presented the lineup as an “exclusive opportunity” for top creators to produce shows that can be purchased by media buyers.

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YouTube has become a leading streaming platform on smart TVs, competing directly with legacy services such as Disney and Netflix. The Brandcast presentation highlighted the platform’s shift from a user-generated video site to a full-fledged TV channel.

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• Trevor Noah – *Trevor Noah’s World Tour* (travel series).

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• Alex Cooper – Unwell Network titles: *Before the Steps* (Met Gala docuseries), *Pot Stirrer* (reality competition), and *Holiday Hard Launch* (micro-drama).

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• Jesser – *Pros vs. YouTubers* (sports-entertainment series); noted for 40 million subscribers.

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• Quen Blackwell – *Feeding Starving Celebrities 2.0* (culinary-celebrity series).

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• Dude Perfect – *Squad Games* (team-based competition).

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• Kareem Rahma (Subway Takes) – *Keep the Meter Running* (cab-ride interview format).

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• Erling Haaland – *Erling’s Gauntlet* (World Cup-themed competition) and a World Cup docuseries.

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• Dwyane Wade – Season 2 of *Fly on the Wall*.

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• Julian Shapiro-Barnum – *Celebrity Substitute* (season 3) and *Outside Tonight* (late-night format).

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• Cleo Abram – New episodes of *Huge* If True* (exploratory documentary).

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• Jesser’s subscriber base: 40 million.

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• At least 12 distinct series were announced across genres (docuseries, competition, micro-drama).

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• YouTube introduced “Buy with Google Pay,” multimodal video creation tools, and an affiliate-boost program to support creator monetization.

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YouTube CEO Neal Mohan emphasized that the platform “didn’t wait for a focus group” and instead built a stage for any storyteller. Chief Business Officer Mary Ellon Coe described the slate as a unique chance for creators to partner directly with media buyers. Trevor Noah highlighted the platform’s breadth, noting that “everything is on YouTube.” Alex Cooper argued that legacy networks have never captured the audience she serves, positioning her Unwell Network as a response to that gap. Jesser, Dwyane Wade, and Erling Haaland each announced new series that leverage YouTube’s distribution and commerce tools.

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The announcements signal YouTube’s intent to rival traditional television by leveraging its creator economy and integrated commerce features. By offering advertisers direct access to creator audiences, the platform may reshape ad spending and content-commissioning practices across the industry.

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Sources differ on release windows: some shows are slated for fall 2026, while others, such as *Before the Steps*, are projected for spring 2027. The exact total count of announced series is not specified in the reports.

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• “Welcome to the YouTube era,” — Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube

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• “For decades, the entertainment industry was built on a series of bets, programming shows based on formulas and focus groups and guessing what would make an audience show up. At YouTube, we didn’t wait for a focus group. We built a stage and empowered anyone with a story to find an audience.” — Neal Mohan, CEO, YouTube

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• “Everything is on YouTube: sports, entertainment, interviews, podcasts, you name it.” — Trevor Noah, Host, Brandcast

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• “Networks didn’t lose this audience. They never had her. And she doesn’t just watch she shows up, not because of an algorithm. It’s her choice. Her loyalty is not bought. It’s earned. This is why I built a new slate of shows for the Unwell Network exclusively on YouTube. Unwell is what happens when you stop making content for women and you start making it with them. We could be anywhere, but we showed up where she already was. You too.” — Alex Cooper, Host, Call Her Daddy

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• “The industry that spent more than 20 years calling itself an audio business just became video, it became YouTube. If you didn’t see that coming, it’s OK, most people didn’t, I didn’t,” — Alex Cooper

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• “This truly is an incredible moment. It’s a new era of connection and culture on YouTube. It’s where the next generation of superstars are being built from the bedroom all the way up,” — Trevor Noah

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Upcoming launches include *Pros vs. YouTubers*, *Feeding Starving Celebrities 2.0*, *Keep the Meter Running*, *Erling’s Gauntlet*, and the second season of *Fly on the Wall*. YouTube will also roll out its “Buy with Google Pay” feature across TV-enabled devices, enabling viewers to purchase products directly from video content.

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