Media Cymru has awarded £80,000 to five Wales-based production companies to support research and development of digital content for YouTube, in partnership with BBC Cymru Wales.
Each company will receive £16,000 to explore how existing returning series for BBC Cymru Wales can be adapted for YouTube audiences. The initiative aims to expand the reach of established programme brands while encouraging audiences to engage with full content on BBC iPlayer.
The Digital Innovation Fund marks the first initiative of its kind for BBC Cymru Wales and follows the BBC’s recently announced strategic partnership with YouTube.
The five selected companies are Beastly Media, Cadno, Cwmni Da, Darlun Cyf. and One Tribe TV.
Beastly Media will focus on extending its comedy The Golden Cobra for YouTube (pictured). Cadno is developing digital content with presenter Iolo Williams centred on behind-the-scenes aspects of nature filmmaking. Cwmni Da plans to use AI tools to create bilingual, digital-first content tailored to YouTube audiences. Darlun Cyf. will explore immersive storytelling approaches for SOS: Extreme Rescues, while One Tribe TV aims to develop content strategies designed to connect digital-native viewers with brands traditionally associated with linear television.
Sara Pepper, co-director at Media Cymru, said: “As the sector increasingly shifts towards digital-first content, Media Cymru has been supporting experimentation and innovation in this space through a range of new funds. I’m genuinely excited to see how these five indies use R&D to reimagine and refresh their existing content for digital audiences and to learn alongside them as this work develops.”
Nick Andrews, head of commissioning for BBC Cymru Wales, added: “The new strategic partnership with YouTube is part of the BBC’s value for all strategy, ensuring more BBC content is accessible to all audiences wherever they are, delivering more for audiences and supporting creators across the whole of the UK. This new fund, in partnership with Media Cymru, will help enable us to deliver this strategy, developing key BBC Cymru Wales programme brands for those hard-to-reach audiences and bringing more people to the BBC.”
As part of the programme, the selected companies attended an Insight Day at BBC Central Square in Cardiff on February 9, 2026. The event included presentations from the BBC’s Audience Research team on data-led strategies for maximising engagement on YouTube, as well as discussions on reaching diverse audiences through digital platforms.
The R&D projects will run from February to April 2026.
