YouTube is coming back to TV upfronts week with Trevor Noah serving as emcee of its 2026 Brandcast presentation for advertisers, along with a big group of YouTube creators including Dude Perfect and Alex Cooper providing testimonials about the power of the platform. To cap off the evening, singer Chappell Roan is set to take the stage for a music performance.
YouTube’s Brandcast upfront is returning to Lincoln Center in New York City. The invitation-only event will take place on Wednesday, May 13, starting at 5:30 p.m. ET.
The headline execs stepping on stage will again be YouTube CEO Neal Mohan and Google president Sean Downey, who “will demonstrate how YouTube is not only the No. 1 streamer in the U.S., but the future of media,” according to YouTube’s Brandcast announcement. “At Brandcast, we will lean into how brands can align themselves with creators and cultural moments to reach viewers while they stream, scroll, search and shop.”
Noah, former host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” has 4.5 million subscribers for his YouTube channel, which features his podcast, “What Now? With Trevor Noah,” as well as his feature-length stand-up special, “The LOST South African Show,” available exclusively on YouTube and sponsored by Verizon. Noah earlier this year hosted the Grammy Awards for the sixth and final time.
Grammy-winner Chappell Roan, who has 2.4 million YouTube followers, will also take the stage as the headline performer at Brandcast. According to YouTube, the platform “offered an early launchpad and discovery engine for her music,” including her NPR “Tiny Desk” to Coachella performances.
YouTube creators scheduled to appear at Brandcast include:
- Adam W (21 million subscribers): The comedy creator has “parlayed his viral Shorts into a global brand” with over 19 billion views, leading to partnerships with brands like Jimmy John’s
- Alex Cooper (2 million subscribers): Founder of Unwell Network and host of “Call Her Daddy,” which ranks as the most-listened-to podcast among women on YouTube (and other platforms)
- Ashley Alexander (1.9 million subscribers): Founder and CEO of Nami Matcha, she’s the lifestyle creator known amongst fans as “ur mom ashley”
- Dude Perfect (61.8 million subscribers): The legendary sports and trick-shot collective behind popular YouTube competition series “Squad Games”
- Jesser (38.5 million subscribers): A “sports innovator known for high-octane collaborations” with athletes like Eli Manning
- Kareem Rahma (922K subscribers across channels): Creator of hit YouTube series “Subway Takes,” which “is reinventing the talk show format for a new generation”
- Morgan Jay (2.8 million subscribers): Creator specializing in interactive comedy who “transforms audience stories into hysterical one-of-a-kind musical hits,” per YouTube
- Quenlin Blackwell (3.3 million subscribers): Host of celebrity interview series on YouTube, ”Feeding Starving Celebrities”
- The Savannah Bananas (2.5 million subscribers): The baseball team that has turned America’s pastime into a must-see entertainment spectacle version of the game, “Banana Ball”
Leave a Reply