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Court Bauer On MLW’s Conversations With YouTube, YouTube’s ‘Identity Crisis’ As a Platform
Court Bauer recently opened up about conversations that MLW has had with YouTube about the latters’s issues as a platform for wrestling companies. MLW airs Fusion weekly on YouTube among other platforms and speaking with POST Wrestling, Bauer detailed how they’ve discussed with YouTube how “problematic” the service’s policies are for companies trying to gain recognition using it.
“We’ve had more constructive conversations (with YouTube) in the last few months. I still think they are having an internal identity crisis,” Bauer said (per Fightful). “At one point in the last year, we talked to them about how they operate and it’s very problematic for many wrestling companies. At one time, they had an original content division and a sports division and were about to rev up and wanted to get in the space of Hulu and Netflix. Then, overnight, everyone was gone and they shuttered a lot of those divisions and were like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to do the YouTube thing like always.'”
Court Bauer continued, “They go back and forth on what they’re going to be. They generate a lot of money. Look at the Paul brothers. My kids watch strictly YouTube and a lot of guys just play video games and they have mansions. It generates mega-money for select people. Will YouTube always sustain because of that? Probably. What will be in ten years, I can’t say. The world of streaming will get more competitive and where does YouTube fit? It’s hard to say. There is a lot of competition and it’s endless.”
YouTube has been used by several wrestling companies — particularly independent promotions — as a way to gain an audience. However, companies have also had issues streaming their content on YouTube; back in 2019, Title Match Wrestling saw their channel demonetized, something that has happened to several other companies as well. (The channel was remonetized after public outcry.) MLW uses YouTube for Fusion but also airs the program on DAZN and Fubo TV, and now has a deal with VICE TV to air content.
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