Q&A with Cenk Uygur: On the Internet He Saw Coming and the One He's Still Building

Cenk Uygur is the CEO and founder of TYT, host of The Young Turks, and the first ever YouTube partner channel. With a verified global audience of more than 200 million views a month and 31 billion total video views, TYT is the number one most engaged news and politics network. Cenk launched The Young Turks as Sirius Satellite Radio's first original talk show in 2002 and uploaded their first video on YouTube in 2005, making TYT the longest-running daily online stream in history. He now brings that same pioneering perspective to the Webby Awards as an Executive Judge.

In this conversation, Cenk shares what he saw in online video before anyone else did, how TYT has survived every algorithmic wave over 24 years, why authenticity beats trend-chasing every time, and what he believes is coming next for the internet.

How did you end up getting into online broadcasting so early?

Back in 1998, I wrote an email to my friends saying that online video was going to beat television. My thesis was that the wisdom of the crowd would win, that gatekeepers aren't very good at their jobs, and that if shows arose from the population and people actually backed and elevated them, those shows would be fantastic and would beat television. At the time, it sounded outlandish. But here we are.

When YouTube launched in 2005, we immediately joined, and eventually became the first YouTube partner channel ever. I guess that makes me the original YouTuber. And I've been evangelizing for YouTube and digital media ever since.

Take us back to 2005. What was YouTube like in those early days, and what did you see in the platform that others didn't?

In 2005, we were the longest-running online video show in history and we were trying to figure out how to spread beyond our own website. We tried MySpace, AOL Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, everything under the sun. Then one day our director Jesus came up and said, "Bro, you gotta see what's up on YouTube. Our videos are popping there."

So we looked, put up more videos, started experimenting, and started doing segments instead of hour-long broadcasts. Next thing you know, it was on fire. It became clear to me that YouTube had the right mindset for getting online video in front of the most people. From day one, they were the most objective and fair in how they set their algorithms, and that's what created the playing ground for all of these video creators to rise up.

I went to them and said I thought they were going to be the number one media company in the world. I remember them laughing at the time.

Over the last 20 years, what have been the biggest shifts you've seen in the internet and how has TYT adapted?

There have been so many trends since we started. First we were doing live shows, then video on demand became more popular and the whole world went that direction on YouTube. Once one of our shows got popular, we started expanding through shows. Then more platforms came out, so we expanded through those too. Facebook, Snap, and so many others. Then short form came along with TikTok and YouTube Shorts, and you adjust.

All along you're making decisions about where to put your resources and your energy. And then podcasting. When we first started, everybody told us to just make it audio and that doing video was a terrible idea. Now people have come back around to doing both. Of course you do both. Why wouldn't you?

I think the next big trend is going to be live. People are going to get very excited about live content on YouTube and across all the platforms pretty soon.

What are you working on and most excited about right now?

We want to grow our network. We have The Young Turks and all of our other channels across YouTube, Facebook, and almost every platform. We also have a 24-hour channel on Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, LG, and others. What we really want to do is take that 24-hour channel and move it to YouTube proper. I think the combination of dynamic ad insertion, a live stream, and the audience we've built on YouTube is going to be incredible. I think 24-hour channels on YouTube are going to be the next phenomenon, and I hope we're the first to do it right.

We already have three to four major shows, three of them going live, which is a six-hour programming block to start. Beyond that, we're probably going to expand by bringing other popular YouTube shows into the lineup and building what I'd call super shows, where you bring together a number of very popular broadcasters and podcasters under one roof. Our goal at TYT is to be the next leader in news, and we're building it out on our home turf.

What's the most important lesson you'd share with creators and media professionals navigating the internet today?

We all have to deal with algorithms. Sometimes they lead in a certain direction and you're super tempted to follow to do better in the short run. But don't lose track of the long run, because algorithms change. If you get wedded to one type of content because that's what the algorithm wants right now, soon enough they'll change it, and when they do, you'll have to adjust significantly.

My point leads back to something that sounds like a cliché but really isn't: give them what you've got. Do what you think is right and what is genuine and authentic to you, and you'll find your groove in any algorithm. But if you try to catch a wave, the next wave will wash you out.

We've been around 24 years and 21 years online. We've survived every algorithmic wave and every trend. How? We get the latest information and adjust, but we never lose our core. We have a north star and we head towards it. That does hurt us from time to time, because sometimes an audience will say that truth is uncomfortable and they'll stop watching. But you have to bear through the short-term pain. The next wave will wash you out if you're chasing it rather than staying true to what your core is and why you started in the first place.

What's overhyped or underrated in the media and internet landscape right now?

What's overhyped right now is the success of creators doing really well on an algorithmic wave. On YouTube especially, the algorithm is currently rewarding consistency, and that's driving people to be very niche and never waver from the same talking points. I think a lot of those shows will wind up regretting it. Once platforms realize they've driven everyone into rabbit holes, getting back out is going to be very difficult.

What's underrated is the quality of content being made online and the freedom that makes it possible. Online, creators have the freedom to say what they believe and see how audiences respond. That freedom has made a huge difference in the quality of what gets made. There are a great number of shows online that are significantly better than anything in traditional media, simply because they're not constrained by what they are and aren't allowed to say.

The Young Turks has won so many Webbys over the years. Do you have any memories from that history you'd like to share?

I love the Webbys. You were recognizing people online for their hard work and their reach before anyone else even realized what was going on. Those awards mean a lot to me. The one I'm most proud of was Best Web Host. Winning an Oscar is amazing, winning an Emmy is amazing, but the competition is limited. There are only so many movies and TV shows. When you're nominated for Best Web Host, that's among thousands of people. It's a tremendous honor, and I really appreciate that the Webbys were rewarding and recognizing that well ahead of everyone else.

I think people will look back and say the people who won these awards, especially in the beginning, wound up being the trailblazers who made a real difference.

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