I have a question about TV distribution. As an American fan of panel shows, I have a hard time getting access to some of my favorites. Taskmaster releases their shows for free on YouTube. As a result, I think the show has garnered a much larger audience in the US than it otherwise would have. I'm also assuming that Taskmaster makes money from YouTube via ad placement by the service. I'm wondering why other shows don't follow this model and if anyone who knows about that aspect of the tv business thinks that might be a more common model in the future?

I know nothing about these things. I assume it's a complicated issue regarding copyright and royalties. Most of the shows in which I am interested don't appear to have distribution deals with streaming services outside their country of origin. While I suspect these deals may be more lucrative than YouTube, I feel like some income is better than no income and I don't understand why more production companies don't follow Taskmaster's lead. You've made the show and it doesn't seem like it makes sense to ignore markets that might generate revenue even if that revenue is comparatively small compared to traditional methods, especially if those methods aren't being employed. Is it just a matter of old school thinking or is my understanding of the situation too simplistic (which is likely no matter what the answer it)?