Step Aside, Creators. Brands Are Taking Over YouTube

The digital video world will converge on Anaheim, Calif., this week for the sixth annual VidCon, a three-day extravaganza that's grown from 1,400 YouTubers and their rabid fans, to 20,000 strong, with top-tier creators from Vine, Vimeo, Tumblr and Meerkat, just to name a few. Some of the biggest brands on the planet will also be in attendance.

Meanwhile, at VidCon, YouTube will take its own well-deserved victory lap. An exhaustive study released today by video marketing firm Pixability digs into viewability, reach and growth of the top 100 global brands as determined by Interbrand (see above chart for the top five brands and the top 100 online). The veritable treasure trove of data is a marketer's dream: YouTube's channels count 73 million subscribers, with subscribership up 47 percent year over year.

"We hit a turning point last year," said Tara Walpert Levy, managing director of agency solutions at YouTube parent Google. "What drove it home is the viewership piece—how much viewers are embracing brand content, and the sheer volume of it."

Branded content videos from the top 100 boast 90 million likes and 8.9 million dislikes—a win for both brands and YouTube.