CANNES — YouTube unveiled new advertising features including creator takeovers and channel slate previews for brands at its Brandcast event in Cannes on Wednesday. Sean Downey, president of the Americas for Google, presented the updates to advertisers.

The company rolled out creator takeovers over the past year and introduced channel slates that preview upcoming creator content for brands. At the NewFronts, YouTube also announced YouTube Creator Partnerships, a program designed to pair advertisers with creators at scale.

Brands running Creator Partnerships on Shorts see roughly a 30% lift in conversion, according to Downey. More than 10 million channels publish Shorts every day, and the format is being watched by billions of users, he said.

"What I hope you find is that brands want to be attached to culture and community in a really authentic way. There was a trend for a long time that held that the future of branding is social. I think the future of brand is trust." Downey said.

According to Downey, YouTube has been the No. 1 streamer for three years running and delivers double the long-term return on ad spend of television and other platforms. He said there are more podcasting hours on YouTube than anywhere else.

The Brandcast program included on-stage appearances by creators and media figures to discuss the future of video content and the talk show format. Downey said the platform's scale and creator ecosystem make it a central destination for both entertainment and advertising investment.