Why Are YouTubers on Netflix? The Deals Explained

The short version

What’s happening: Netflix is licensing videos and commissioning new series from YouTube creators. In the deals with published terms, the creators' channels carry on as normal.
Why now: Nielsen's August 2026 Gauge gave YouTube a record 15.8% of US TV viewing, against 7.7% for Netflix, and several new deals arrived in the summer.
Should you care: A creator you watch for free on YouTube probably still is free there. New series announced for Netflix are the likely exception, so search your own app before changing a plan.

Netflix says it competes with YouTube in every dimension, and creators get a second outlet, under licence, for videos they’ve already made. In the deals with published terms below, the channels stay on YouTube, so your favourite probably hasn’t gone anywhere.

That’s why YouTubers are on Netflix: it’s a licensing arrangement, and it doesn’t stop the two services competing for your evening.

Does this affect you? Run through whichever line fits:

You watch a creator free on YouTube. Nothing in the deals below takes their channel away.
You pay for Netflix. You may see more creator shows on your home screen, some of them videos you’ve already watched.
You don’t have Netflix. You’d probably miss new series announced as Netflix projects, but not the channels themselves.

Have YouTubers left YouTube for Netflix?

In the deals with public terms, no. “Moved” is the wrong word for these arrangements.

Netflix’s own Tudum site said the Stokes Twins would bring an archive of their most-watched videos to the service on 18 July 2026. Net Influencer, citing The Hollywood Reporter, described that agreement as non-exclusive, with the videos remaining on YouTube.

Good Mythical Morning goes further. The A.V. Club reported that new episodes reach Netflix and YouTube at the same time, and the show stays free on YouTube.

The creators haven’t left YouTube. Netflix has rented a shelf.

The likely exception is original work. A new series announced for Netflix is a Netflix project, so expect to need a subscription, though we haven’t seen published terms on where these shows can also appear.

How it spread

18 Aug 2025Netflix announces a partnership with Mark Rober: a compilation of his experiments, then a new competition series.
Jan 2026On Netflix's earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos says of YouTube: “They are TV”.
23 Jun 2026Amazon reveals a Fire TV Creator Hub at the Cannes Lions festival.
9 Jul 2026Netflix's Tudum site announces the Stokes Twins, with an archive arriving on 18 July and a series set for 2027.
14 Jul 2026Good Mythical Morning is announced for Netflix, with new episodes released alongside YouTube from 7 September.
22 Oct 2026Nielsen publishes its August Gauge, with YouTube at a platform record of 15.8% of US TV viewing.

Why are YouTubers on Netflix at all? The TV screen explains it

YouTube took a platform-record 15.8% of TV viewing in Nielsen’s Gauge for August 2026, covering 27 July to 30 August and published on 22 October. Netflix took 7.7%.

That’s US viewing on TV screens, so phones and laptops aren’t in it. By our arithmetic, YouTube’s share was about twice Netflix’s that month.

Those were the latest figures as of early November 2026. Nielsen says September and October will be published together later this year, after a one-time adjustment to its method, so later comparisons may not line up neatly.

Netflix has said openly how it sees this. On its January 2026 earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said of YouTube, “They are TV”, and described competing with it for talent and ad money among other things.

Our reading, rather than anything Netflix has stated: a creator arrives with a known format, a back catalogue and a following. That looks like a lower-risk bet than a new show nobody has heard of, particularly when licensed videos already exist.

There’s also a gap to close. App tracker Apptopia, as reported by Tubefilter, found in August 2026 that YouTube reached 92% of Netflix’s users, while Netflix reached only 16% of YouTube’s. It tracks mobile only, so it says nothing direct about TVs, and the same report says the overlap has grown more lopsided during 2026.

How big are creator shows on Netflix so far?

Small next to the whole service, but real. Netflix’s own report on the first half of 2026 says audiences watched more than 97 billion hours in total. It calls Ms. Rachel its most-watched kids title, at 69 million views across two seasons, and lists Mark Rober’s CrunchLabs at 36 million views across four.

Those are views, not hours. A report by independent kids’ media consultant Emily Horgan, covered by What’s on Netflix in September 2026, puts Ms. Rachel at 208 million hours and CrunchLabs at 81 million for the same six months. What’s on Netflix doesn’t say how she derived them, so treat them as her figures.

Set Horgan’s figure against Netflix’s total and Ms. Rachel comes to roughly 0.2% of all viewing. That’s our sum, and it assumes both figures count hours the same way.

Three further points on what’s working:

Old videos are carrying it so far. TheWrap’s Kayla Cobb noted in July 2026 that the best performers in Netflix’s report were YouTube channels repackaged for the service, and that the one original creator programme listed was a seasonal special, which she cautioned is a weak basis for conclusions.
Relaxed viewing seems to be the target. Cobb wrote that Netflix “isn’t interested in lean-in content from creators but rather lean-back content”, meaning shows you settle in front of rather than actively follow.
Wider audiences are the open question. What’s on Netflix says the approach is proven with younger viewers. Horgan’s own framing: “What I’m watching now is whether broader-skewing creators can deliver to the same standard.”

Why would a YouTuber say yes?

Money for work already done is the obvious draw, though the amounts aren’t published, so we’re leaving rumoured figures out. The clearer reasons come from what creators and Netflix have said on the record.

Bigger budgets. At a Bloomberg conference, reported by What’s on Netflix in October 2026, Mark Rober said his Netflix series needed upfront investment he might not have had working on his own for YouTube. He called the arrangement a “yes-and” situation.
More reach. Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, hosts of Good Mythical Morning, were quoted by TheWrap saying “great entertainment should meet people wherever they are”.
A knock-on for other businesses. Sarandos told Politico, as cited by Tubefilter, that Rober saw “a big increase in his consumer product sales” after his first week on Netflix. He gave no figure.

Sponsorships may be affected. A ThoughtLeaders analysis from October 2026 cites a Bloomberg report, based on unnamed sources, saying Netflix asks creators to remove certain brand sponsorships.

The contracts aren’t public, so we can’t say how often that happens or which version of a video it affects.

What kinds of deal are there?

There are three broad types, and one creator can have more than one. Treat this as a dated snapshot: terms are as reported at the time, and new deals keep arriving.

Deal type	What it means	Example, as reported	Stays on YouTube?
Library licence	Netflix carries a selection of existing videos	Stokes Twins archive, from 18 July 2026	Yes, per Net Influencer
Same-day release	New episodes appear in both places at once	Good Mythical Morning, from 7 September 2026	Yes, free, per The A.V. Club
New series	A show developed for Netflix	Stokes Twins series, set for 2027; Mark Rober’s Schooled, due early 2027	Announced as Netflix series; the channels continue

Rober’s route shows how the types stack. Netflix announced his partnership in August 2025 as a compilation of his experiments first, with a new competition series to follow. That series was first announced for 2026 and is now due in early 2027.

What does YouTube make of it?

YouTube is competing for the same creators. ThoughtLeaders’ October 2026 analysis, citing Bloomberg, says YouTube has been offering some of its biggest creators payment to keep new videos YouTube-only for a set period. That’s a press report of talks, and we haven’t seen published terms.

For viewers, the practical effect would be timing. If windows like these were agreed, a video could appear in one place first for a set period, so a gap between services wouldn’t by itself mean a creator had left either. That’s our inference from the reported structure, not a published term.

What changes if you’re a viewer?

Expect more choice and a little more clutter. Some of this is established, and some isn’t.

Your channel subscriptions. The deals above leave them where they are, so there’s no need to do anything.
Repeat videos. Expect familiar videos grouped into seasons. Check the upload date if you think you’ve seen one already.
Same-day episodes. Good Mythical Morning is the clearest example. For any other show, look at when the newest Netflix episode was added, compared with YouTube.
Sponsor segments. This is unknown. ThoughtLeaders’ October 2026 piece says, “Nobody has published what actually happens to an integration when an episode crosses over.” You’d have to compare the two versions yourself.
Your country and plan. We couldn’t confirm that every show is available in every country, or on every Netflix plan. Search the creator’s name in your own app before you change a subscription for one.

Is this only happening on Netflix?

No. Amazon revealed a Creator Hub for Fire TV in June 2026, with a plan to support more than 500 creators by next year. Tubi said the same month that its Creatorverse section was coming to Fire TV.

We couldn’t confirm which of those features are live in the UK, so check your own device. Streaming services are chasing phone habits as well, as our explainer on microdramas sets out.

Before you change a subscription, look for the channel: in every deal above, it was reported or announced to carry on.

Our take

We think these deals say more about what counts as television than about where creators belong. A format once treated as a warm-up for TV now earns a place on the same menu as prestige drama. The test ahead is whether new series, made without a recommendation feed behind them, can hold viewers as well as the old videos do.

Common questions

Are YouTubers leaving YouTube for Netflix?

In the deals with published terms that we've listed, no. The Stokes Twins' videos were reported to remain on YouTube, and Good Mythical Morning stays free there. New series announced for Netflix are separate projects.

Are the videos on Netflix the same as on YouTube?

Largely, as far as announcements show. Library deals bring across existing videos, often grouped into seasons. ThoughtLeaders said in October 2026 that nobody had published what happens to sponsor segments, so edits can't be ruled out.

Do I need Netflix to watch my favourite YouTuber?

Not for the channels in the deals above, which continue on YouTube. A series announced as a Netflix project, such as Mark Rober's Schooled, due in early 2027, is likely to need a subscription, though we haven't seen published terms.

Is there a list of all YouTubers on Netflix?

We couldn't find an official one from Netflix, and deals keep arriving. The quickest check is to search the creator's name in the Netflix app in your own country.

Is this happening on other streaming services?

Yes. In June 2026 Amazon revealed a Creator Hub for Fire TV, and Tubi said its Creatorverse section was coming to Fire TV the same month.

Sources

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Why are YouTubers on Netflix, and what does it change for you?