Netflix has been signing on big YouTube stars for its streaming platform, and insiders suggest the latter is not happy about it. Big media houses and entities in Hollywood are ruffling a lot of feathers by taking steps that can define the future of media and content going forward. First there was this big Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition mess that first saw Netflix and Paramount lock horns for the deal, the former eventually bowing out of the bidding war. Netflix dodged a bullet there, as Paramount is still struggling to close the deal. 

However, Netflix came out of one war and is setting up the stage for another one, and this one is going to be with YouTube.

The Town with Matt Belloni invited Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw on Tuesday, July 21, to talk about the serious issue that he himself has raised in his recent column for Bloomberg this weekend. He has directed attention through his report to the systematic poaching of the top stars on YouTube and bringing them to Netflix. 

According to Shaw, YouTube has spent a decade building a persona that it is a worthy equal to television. But it really damages its standing as a peer to TV when its top talent feels like they have to go to streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, or Hulu. That is bound to mess with their ego and the perception they have worked hard to build over the years.

“It bruises the ego a little bit, and if enough people do it, then it starts to create sort of a perception problem for you,” Shaw explained to Belloni.

While discussing this topic further on The Town with Matt Belloni, Shaw mentioned that Netflix has been deliberately targeting the top layer of YouTube talent with a specific focus on those whose content is mostly targeted towards families or kids. They have, till now, poached stars like Nick DiGiovanni, Alan Chikin Chow, Rhett & Link from Good Mythical Morning, and more.

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Shaw also mentioned “murmurs” from inside the YouTube camp that suggest that they are not thrilled about the current situation. 

Lucas Shaw alluded to the fact in his conversation on The Town with Matt Belloni that YouTube might be a little upset about these developments and that it might engage in a talent war with Netflix if it has not already started one. He gave an example of the time when TikTok was becoming more and more famous as the nest for young budding talent. YouTube, in an effort to bolster its perception, introduced the Shorts feature and regained control of losing talent and engagement. 

However, the current situation is a bit different for YouTube now, as unlike with TikTok, it has the upper hand with Netflix. While YouTube is free, Netflix is not, which means that the poaching attempt is not enough to actually hurt YouTube. But it still needs to stop the talent drain, as it might start to slowly corrode the platform if left unchecked.    

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Who would you think would ultimately win if Netflix and YouTube were, in fact, to engage in a talent war? Do let us know in the comments.