YouTube's Pedro Pina delivers the 2026 MacTaggart lecture
YouTube’s Pedro Pina delivered the James MacTaggart Memorial lecture at this year’s Edinburgh TV Festival, a flagship address widely considered the most influential and agenda-setting speech in the British broadcasting industry.
YouTube’s presence marked a defining moment for the industry, framing a bold message: British media is poised on the edge of a Third Golden Age’. fueled by homegrown talent, deeper collaboration and an audience-first mindset.
Rejecting the idea that traditional broadcasters and digital platforms must compete, Pina positioned them as natural allies. Highlighting joint ventures with the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4, he illustrated how global digital platforms amplify British storytelling worldwide. The stage is set, the audience is waiting, and the opportunity to craft television’s greatest era starts now.
"This next chapter of British television will not be a tragedy. It will be an epic."