With ITV and Channel 4 already placing increasing amounts of long-form content on YouTube, and the BBC now commissioning bespoke, YouTube-first programming, the platform’s relationship with UK broadcasters has moved from promotional outlet to (most-important?) strategic distribution partner. As Managing Director of YouTube UK & Ireland, Alison Lomax sits at the centre of that shift.

The scale of YouTube’s role in UK viewing continues to grow. According to Ofcom, the platform is now the UK’s second most-watched media service behind only the BBC, with audiences spending an average of 39 minutes per day on YouTube, including 16 minutes on the household TV set. Among younger audiences, its position is even stronger: YouTube is the most-watched service among both 16–34s and children aged 4–15, accounting for 22% and 28% of their video viewing respectively. Viewing among older audiences is also rising, with over-55s nearly doubling their time on YouTube from 6 minutes per day in January 2023 to 11 minutes per day in December 2024.

Lomax is responsible for working with government and policymakers and partnering with creators, brands and the music industry to ensure YouTube remains at the forefront of the creator economy.

She has spent her career at the intersection of technology and creativity, working both in the public sector – including roles within MI5 and the Foreign Office – and in advertising before joining Google in 2011, where she led a number of commercial and creative teams. She took up her current role at YouTube in January 2023.