Full Breakdown
YouTube May Return to Original Programming After Past Setbacks
6/15/2026, 9:40:23 PM
Core Event: YouTube’s Original Content Pivot
Former YouTube executive Susanne Daniels, who led original content for over six years, said at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival that YouTube plans to revive original programming, citing its 2029 Academy Awards broadcast rights as a signal.
Background & Context: Early Originals and Regulation
YouTube launched “Cobra Kai” in 2020 under Daniels, but she said the platform “didn’t know what to do with original content.” After two seasons the series moved to Netflix, exposing operational gaps and European regulatory pressure that stripped YouTube’s “just a platform” defense.
Why It Matters: Strategy and Regulation
Returning to originals would shift YouTube from pure distribution to hybrid creation, subjecting it to stricter European and UK broadcast rules. The UK’s upcoming under-16 social-media ban will also cover YouTube.
Official Statements & Responses
CEO Neal Mohan, previously described by Daniels as “very averse” to originals, appears to be reconsidering under his current leadership. The Academy Awards rights deal underscores a move toward premium content.
Criticism & Opposition
Daniels said she could not secure exclusive early-premiere rights for Google phone users or dedicated promotion for “Cobra Kai,” calling the effort “very frustrating.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Public viewership and revenue data for “Cobra Kai” on YouTube have not been disclosed, leaving a gap in assessing the series’ performance.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Neal Mohan was very averse to it… but now that he’s [CEO and] running YouTube, I think he’ll come around to it,” — Susanne Daniels, Former Global Head of Original Content, YouTube
- “The distinction is that they claim they’re just a platform, and that was one of the problems when I ran original content for YouTube,” — Susanne Daniels
- “In Europe it caused an issue for YouTube/Google because we were no longer able to hide behind the ‘we’re just a platform’ strategy because we were making original content.” — Susanne Daniels
- “ Daniels explained: “I was very frustrated when I launched Cobra Kai, because I knew this was a very special show, and it had the potential to break through.” — Susanne Daniels
- “Our testing showed that too, but I couldn’t get YouTube/Google to use the show in ways that I thought would help it.” — Susanne Daniels
What’s Next
YouTube’s 2029 Oscars broadcast and any new originals will test its compliance with upcoming UK age-restriction rules.
