YouTube has announced a raft of new product updates at its Brandcast upfronts in Sydney including new ad formats, shoppable CTV formats and an AI-powered tool to spot consumers at points of peak emotional receptivity.
Yet again, YouTube talked up its chops to muscle in on ad spend on the biggest screen in the home, saying it reached more than 13.3 million adult Australians on CTV in May 2025, an increase from 12.9 million in May 2024, according to Ipsos iris.
It added that it reached more than 20.1 million adult Australians in May 2025 – or 96 per cent of the adult online population, again according to Ipsos iris.
Its Australian creator ecosystem continues to grow, too, with more than 500 channels with more than one million subscribers, a five fold increase over the last five years.
YouTube’s team, with the help of marketing consultant Rob Brittain and Analytic Partners, went to some length to show it delivered significant ROI and ROAS.
“YouTube’s not just engaging for fans, it’s incredibly effective for brands. It gives you a powerful flywheel: great content attracts passionate fans, creating a trusted environment where your brands can achieve incredible growth,” said Mel Silva, MD of Google Australia and New Zealand.
Here’s a quick look at the product announcements.
Immersive Masthead on CTV: A new product that provides an edge-to-edge creative canvas on the YouTube homepage to capture maximum attention.
60-Second Non-Skippable Format: Coming soon to YouTube Select, this format offers brands the space for deeper storytelling in a premium, lean-back viewing environment.
Shoppable CTV: This tool closes the loop between big-screen impact and action, allowing audiences to shop directly on their TV or send product information to their phone.
Cultural Moments Sponsorships: Brands can own key cultural moments, such as the FIFA World Cup or the Met Gala, to ensure they show up when it matters most to their audience.
Peak Points: Built with Gemini, this AI-powered tool uses “microsignals” to deliver an ad when a viewer is most emotionally receptive to it, at the ‘peak’ of an experience.
Attributed Brand Searches: A new measurement solution that directly links YouTube video ad views to brand searches on Google.
“YouTube’s 20 million-plus reach is driven by culture, and that culture is driven by authentic connections between fans and the creators, artists, and sports they love,” said Caroline Oates, head of YouTube AUNZ. said. “It’s a powerful engine to reach your audience, and for brands that are already global or are looking to expand, YouTube enables you to engage your audience at scale, wherever they are.”
“YouTube is the future of video. A place where culture thrives, and your brands can unleash boundless creativity to create valuable audience connections,” said Oates.
Stay tuned for B&T’s full industry response later today.
