TikTok replaced as the title sponsor of VidCon by YouTube
The annual convention for digital creators returns to Anaheim from June 21 to June 24.
A year after ceding the flagship sponsorship to TikTok for VidCon 2022, YouTube is back to claim the top spot at this year’s convention.
Since 2013, the Google-owned video company has had a disproportionate presence at the annual gathering for digital producers, serving as title sponsor for seven years in a row. TikTok had surged in popularity and emerged to take over the sponsorship post when VidCon returned for its first in-person event after pandemic-related cancellations and delays.
The “changing of the guard” did not go unnoticed: For a convention that has always been dominated by YouTube, the 2022 conference returned with a concentration on short-form material, a format popularized by TikTok. The main stage keynote was led by top TikTok creators and TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas, thanks to the platform’s title sponsorship post, and — perhaps most noticeably — a large photo-ready TikTok statue hovered over attendees in the courtyard outside the Anaheim Convention Center.
This year, YouTube appears ready to grab its spotlight back from TikTok at the convention. And this time, the company will arrive having launched its Shorts revenue sharing program with creators that are poised to pressure TikTok into developing a monetization system that can compete.
“As a longstanding partner of VidCon, we are delighted to return as title sponsor for 2023 to continue celebrating our creators through the diverse programming at this one-of-a-kind event,” Kate Stanford, VP of YouTube Marketing, said in a statement. As we continue to provide pathways for success in today’s thriving creator economy, we look forward to celebrating the magic of YouTube and the future of content creation in Anaheim this summer.”
From June 21 to June 24, the convention will be held. VidCon co-founders John and Hank Green, the Try Guys’ Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld, De’Marcus Shawn, Drew Afualo, Brent and Lexi Rivera, and Benjamin De Almeida (a.k.a. BenoftheWeek), among many others, will be featured creators.
“YouTube has always been an intrinsic component of VidCon since it is one of the most important actors in the digital ecosystem,” VidCon’s svp operations Colin Hickey said. “We are happy to have them back as the title sponsor to assist promote our aim of elevating digital culture and its creators.”