Key facts
- The BBC has hired 26-year-old Brandon Relph to its strategy team.
- Relph's role is to help the broadcaster reach younger audiences.
- He founded his first company at age 13 and has a background in tech and marketing.
- The BBC is facing a generational shift in media consumption, with young people favoring digital platforms.
- Relph has previously criticized the BBC's iPlayer and stressed the need for a greater focus on younger demographics.
The BBC has appointed 26-year-old entrepreneur Brandon Relph to its strategy team in an effort to attract younger audiences who are increasingly turning to digital platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Relph, who founded his first company at age 13 and has been praised by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, is tasked with addressing the existential threat of declining viewership among young people.
Relph, who has described himself as "the go-to guy who knows the youth," has had a rapid career, making significant earnings from tech and marketing companies founded in his teenage years. His appointment comes as the BBC, like other traditional broadcasters, grapples with a major generational shift in media consumption. While a large majority of older demographics still watch live television, less than half of 16 to 24-year-olds do so.
Matt Brittin, the new BBC director general, has pledged to reshape the organization as part of its royal charter renewal, with a focus on digital content. This strategic shift is reflected in significant cuts across BBC services and a recent deal to produce bespoke YouTube content. Relph's expertise lies in helping executives understand and market to younger demographics, leveraging his experience from businesses built on "people's lack of understanding of our generation."
Previous entrepreneurial ventures by Relph included building online audiences for video gameshows and creating a Minecraft version of a Tesla. He has encountered industry resistance to embracing online content creators, a sentiment that is now reportedly changing. After a project for a "Netflix for the creator generation" failed to secure venture capital, Relph joined consulting firm Accenture before moving to the BBC.
Insiders at the BBC have praised Relph's focus on Gen Z, with former colleagues describing him as a "special case" who is popular and willing to question senior executives. Figures like Jordan Schwarzenberger, manager of the Sidemen YouTube collective, acknowledge Relph's talent but emphasize that the BBC's challenge is broader than a single hire, requiring a fundamental shift away from traditional linear broadcasting.
Despite the challenges, the BBC still reaches 63% of the 16-34 age group weekly and is the only UK brand in the top five media used by this demographic, alongside YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Netflix. However, BBC figures are aware of the urgency. Jo Redfern, a digital media expert, stated that making the BBC indispensable to under-24s requires significant internal and external momentum, as the broadcaster risks losing its position with younger groups if it cannot adapt to their demand for participatory media experiences.