Creators gather in Washington, D.C.
Jan 23, 2025 – [[read-time]] minute read
This weekend in Washington, D.C., YouTube welcomed top creators and podcasters for a reception that highlighted the unique role they played in keeping voters engaged and informed throughout the 2024 U.S. election season. These creators, in addition to many others, are driving today’s online news consumption, landing “must-watch” interviews, and giving viewers the chance to hear directly from politicians, celebrities, business leaders, and more.
We had a chance to connect with a few of them in D.C. about the role their content is playing in today’s media ecosystem, and here’s what they told us:
Lex Fridman, host of Breaking Points
“The 2024 election was a turning point for political media consumption in the US where going direct and bypassing traditional media paid huge dividends for President Trump. It’s intriguing and exciting to see YouTube and other companies understand the new landscape and lay a foundation for the growth of a new political paradigm.”
In addition to creators, the reception also brought together policymakers and elected officials.
Creators provide a glimpse behind the scenes
Independent outlets and creators who were in D.C. for the inauguration festivities provided audiences with behind-the-scenes access to all of the action through both long-form video and YouTube Shorts.
over 45 million viewers across the U.S. watched content related to the election on YouTube. We saw this same trend continue on inauguration day. On the U.S. Inauguration Day, over 30 million people globally watched inauguration** related content on YouTube.
*Inauguration related content is defined as a video with the word “inauguration,” “'inaugural,”or “inaugurated” in the title.