YouTube highlights 5/26

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

One busy six-year-old
The first video posted on YouTube.com was a 19-second video called Me at the Zoo. Six years later, more than 48 hours of video are uploaded every single minute, representing a 100% increase over last year alone. As YouTube continues to grow, we’re invested in bringing you more content, innovative tools and an increasingly effective platform to tell your stories. Read more about the past six years of YouTube on our blog.

Interviews in outer space
Last Thursday, Space Shuttle Endeavour and International Space Station astronauts answered questions submitted by YouTube fans during their first live interview from space shuttle STS-134. The astronauts answered questions ranging from social media and new technology to the challenges of leaving family behind—and they even performed a group somersault. Watch the full interview presented by PBS on YouTube.



Caps, gowns and pearls of wisdom
Graduation season is here, which means lots of commencement speeches. YouTube houses a vast repository of commencement addresses, and through YouTube EDU, colleges and universities have uploaded more than 1,600 videos to their own channels. Pick up some sage advice by checking out these star-studded commencement speeches.



The value of views
We announced a change to the way advertisers pay for Promoted Video ads on YouTube. Rather than paying on a per click basis, we’ll move this ad format to a cost-per-view (CPV) basis, meaning advertisers only pay when viewers click on their ad and watch the featured video. We hope CPV formats help to better align video ads with advertisers’ goals of driving trackable video viewership. Read more here.

This week in trends
Here are two of our favorite videos this week:

• One of the most shared videos of the past week has been this proposal via movie theatre trailer, a now famous engagement before a screening of Fast Five. See for yourself why this video has gotten more than 13 million views in just over a week!
• The latest Google Chrome ad starring Lady Gaga had a strong showing, with over 1 million views in six days. 

Posted by Neha Mandal, Product Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube highlights 5/13

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

More great content on YouTube
This week we announced the addition of 3,000 major movies titles on youtube.com/movies. We’ve been offering a slew of free movie rentals on YouTube since 2009, but now you can rent and enjoy your favorite movies right on YouTube for a few bucks, from classics like Goodfellas to newer blockbusters including Inception, The King’s Speech and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There’s no downloading or software required—you can enjoy the growing selection of movies right in your browser.

Aside from professionally produced content, original content producers like like Machinima, Annoying Orange and Ryan Higa to reach TV-size audiences on YouTube week after week. In the coming year, we plan to equip more creators with the necessary tools to produce unique, valuable content. Read more from Salar Kamangar, head of YouTube, on how we plan to expand the availability of great content.

Inspired educators gather on YouTube
The Teaching Channel, one of our newer YouTube EDU partners, is a great example of technology actively elevating education standards. On the channel, teachers can discover new teaching methods and classroom ideas, and get feedback from other teachers while sharing their expertise. The hope is that teachers and schools around the country will use video to learn from each other and improve the educational experience of every child. Explore the channel yourself and pass it along to teachers you know.



Royal festivities around the world
On April 29, we live streamed the Royal Wedding on the official YouTube Royal Channel. While we knew many people would tune in, we didn’t expect numbers this large—the wedding was streamed 72 million times across 188 countries! Add that to the millions of people who caught the action later that day, and you have 101 million total streams on April 29 alone. Find more stats about the live stream event on the YouTube blog, and if you were one of the few to miss the wedding, the entire live stream and video highlights are permanently housed on The Royal Channel.



This week in trends
From the world of YouTube Trends:

• A woman plays a tune across three instruments, becoming the most watched and shared video in Taiwan this week
• News on Bin Laden draws reactions from around the country
• 10 ways kids are asking each other to the prom
• Millions watched President Obama’s speech at the White House Correspondent's Dinner

Visit the YouTube Blog for much more from the world of video.

Posted by Neha Mandal, Product Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube highlights 4/28/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Music, Mother Earth, flash mobs and royalty were all celebrated on YouTube in the past two weeks. Read on for more details.

A front row seat to the royal wedding
The much anticipated royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is finally here, and you have a front seat. Tune into the Royal Channel, the official YouTube channel of the British Monarchy, on April 29 to see the entire wedding celebration live. The live stream will begin at 10:00am BST (9:00am GMT, 2:00am PT, 5:00am ET) on Friday, April 29, and will follow the wedding procession, marriage ceremony at Westminster Abbey and balcony kiss. The Royal Channel will also feature live blog commentary of the event to give timely updates and insights as the day unfolds. If you can’t watch the live event, footage will be shown in its entirety directly following the celebration and will be available in full on the site to view afterward.

From Brazil to the California desert, a celebration of music
Earlier this year, we took on the task of capturing the festivity, passion and celebration of Brazil’s famed Carnaval. We live streamed six days of incredible festivities for the world, resulting in more than 11 million channel views to date. Continuing in that spirit of sharing world events more broadly, we helped expand the reach of California’s Coachella Festival by live streaming the event. YouTube streamed more than 65 bands and three days of music on three separate channels, generating more than 60 million views during live and re-broadcast events. If you missed the events, you can still check out the magic of Carnaval or your favorite artists’ Coachella performances at www.youtube.com/Carnaval and www.youtube.com/Coachella.



It’s easy being green
In conjunction with Earth Day on April 22, we introduced YouTube Live Green, a guide to eco-living. With sponsor Garnier Fructis, we’ve curated videos on natural beauty tips, healthy menu options, recommendations on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle and other eco-friendly content to inform and inspire you. New videos will be featured each week from some of our top eco-friendly partners including Ehow, Planet Green, HGTV and National Geographic, so check back often!



This week in trends
Some quick highlights from YouTube Trends:

• T-Mobile's "Royal Wedding Entrance" is averaging around 1 million views per day! Last week it was among our most shared videos, and just two weeks after it was posted, it's clocked 13 million views
• In Syria, video captured incredible footage of reported violence and widespread protests
• Tornadoes continue to ravage parts of the United States, and the footage continues to pour in. The latest comes from Tuscaloosa, Ala.
• The flash mob phenomenon continues to be popular. We recently compiled the 10 most viewed flash mobs of all time

Until next time, stay on top of the world of video via the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Neha Mandal, Product Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube highlights 4/14/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

This week on YouTube saw several new initiatives, especially in the realm of real-time content. Celebrities also embraced video this week to stand up for a good cause.

Pencil us in
What if you could easily find when your favorite band was performing live on YouTube, or add upcoming live sports to your calendar? Events taking place right now have become an increasingly valuable part of YouTube, including concerts, sporting events and interviews, but sometimes you may not get the heads up until the excitement has already passed.

To make live events easier to discover, and encourage more of them in the process, we’ve created YouTube Live, which brings live-streaming capabilities and discovery tools to YouTube. At www.youtube.com/live, you’ll be able to view the latest live events happening as well as subscribe to your favorite live-stream partners to stay informed on the latest. We’ve also built in a live comments feature enabling you to engage with live-streamers and the YouTube community.

Celebrities join forces to fight sex trafficking
When celebrities stand up for a cause, people listen. By adding YouTube to the mix, we hope even more people will listen to the powerful “Real Men Don’t Buy Girls” campaign. The campaign is supported by the DNA Foundation, founded by Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, and aims to take a stand against sex trafficking. Watch the first episodes from the campaign here and join the cause to put an end to the $32 billion global sex slavery market.



Back in action: The Indian Premier League
Millions of cricket fans around the world are anticipating match-ups like Chennai Super Kings vs. Kolkata Knight Riders, two of the 10 teams that make up the Indian Premier League. In partnership with the India Times, we’re live streaming the entire 51-day tournament, enabling fans to watch games as they happen, view past matches and enjoy highlight clips on www.youtube.com/indiatimes.

This week in trends
Some quick highlights from YouTube Trends:

• The tragic tornado that ripped through Merrill, Wisc. this week was captured in bits and pieces through video. Residents posted clips, which we’ve collected into a playlist.
• We tracked how President Obama's 2012 campaign announcement video was shared across the web.
• We saw a sharp rise this month in search volume for videos utilizing a technique called tilt-shift. Tilt-shift videography manipulates the camera lens to make real footage look like a mini-model of itself. Take a look for yourself.
• Trending on YouTube today with 3.8 million views within a week: Is this even human?

Until we meet again, stay on top of what’s going in the world of video via the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Neha Mandal, Product Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube highlights 3/31/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

In the past two weeks, we saw online video swing into action in a few very powerful scenarios. Video helped connect people with loved ones affected by tragedy while at the same time, uniting musicians from around the world to create art.

YouTube Person Finder
The YouTube Person Finder (消息情報) channel aggregates video messages from those affected by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan. You can search for videos within the module or browse videos in Japanese. Our hope is that the power of video and the access to YouTube will help victims and their families find each other and make sure they’re safe.

YouTube Symphony Orchestra dazzles from Sydney
One hundred and one musicians from 33 countries were selected via online auditions to come together as an orchestra and celebrate music, creativity and collaboration. Well-known YouTube stars joined the show in Sydney to collaborate, including Pogo and Ukrainian sand artist Kseniya Simonova. A week of events and seven sold-out concerts captured on youtube.com/symphony culminated in a Grand Finale event on March 20. The event was streamed 33 million times around the world to 189 countries, including an incredible 2.8 million mobile live-streams.



Lights, YouTube—Action
Owning a video camera is no longer a prerequisite to joining the YouTube community. youtube.com/create, just launched in beta, enables anyone to use video creation sites Xtranormal, Stupeflix and GoAnimate to make personal videos using images, music and animations and then share them by posting to YouTube.

If you do own a video camera, we have some good news for you too. Nine months ago we introduced our cloud-based video editor, with basic tools, at www.youtube.com/editor. This week, we’ve made two major enhancements to our video editor—image stabilizer and 3D capabilities. Now, you can smooth unsteady video footage with the click of a button or create a composite of two side-by-side videos to produce your very own 3D action flick—all for free.

Baby, she was “Born this way”
Lady Gaga stopped by Google’s headquarters last week and wowed a packed auditorium of Googlers and YouTubers. Gaga answered questions from fans via Twitter and Moderator as well as the audience, dishing on fashion, her larger-than-life persona and upcoming album. Watch the entire Q&A now on YouTube.



This week in trends
Some quick highlights from YouTube Trends:

• U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the issue of bullying early this month at the White House and since then, we’ve seen anti-bullying videos appear on YouTube by the hundreds each week.
  
  
  

• We're seeing new video coming from Syria, where demonstrations have reportedly escalated. CitizenTube, in partnership with StoryFul, is curating that footage on its channel.
• We looked at how popular cartoonists in Jordan have reacted to the major events taking place in North Africa and the Middle East.
• We looked at some of the most popular viral clips from around the world, including a proposal gone wrong, a musically-inclined baby and masked flash mobbers in Korea. Check them out for yourself.

Until our next update, keep up on what’s going in the world of video via the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Neha Mandal, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube Highlights 3/17/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Like many people, we've been struck by the devastation in Japan since last week. So in addition to our regular round-up, we've included some information to help you stay informed about events on the ground in Japan.

Footage from Japan on CitizenTube
In the aftermath of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan, we worked with Storyful to make eyewitness footage accessible on CitizenTube, YouTube’s News and Politics channel. We also featured some of the most moving videos, like this footage from inside a grocery store during the quake, in a spotlight on the YouTube homepage. You can find more videos on youtube.jp and the livestream of the Tokyo Broadcasting System’s news coverage.

Hollywood comes to YouTube with Girl Walks Into A Bar
We’ve premiered Hollywood's first feature-length film created specifically for the Internet. Presented by Lexus and now playing in the YouTube Screening Room, Girl Walks Into A Bar is a comedy directed by Sebastian Gutiérrez. The film stars (among others) Carla Gugino, Zachary Quinto, Danny DeVito, Rosario Dawson, Josh Hartnett and Emmanuelle Chriqui. Watch it in its entirety or in installments via this playlist.



Brave bloggers and more—reporting from Afghanistan
Steve Grove of YouTube News and Politics was recently part of a Google/YouTube delegation that went to Afghanistan. There, they interviewed people who have lost their jobs due to blogging and discovered a country that is hungry for information. Ninety percent of people listen to the radio every day, and even though only 30% of Afghans have electricity, 60% say they watch television daily (using generators or community viewing locations). Learn more about their trip and the state of media in Afghanistan in this blog post.

Full version of Kevin Bacon film on YouTube
Ivan Cobenk—the self-proclaimed No. 1 Kevin Bacon fan in the world—has posted the full version of his latest movie on YouTube. You might be familiar with "Ivan" from advertisements for the Logitech Revue with Google TV—turns out, they were only using clips of a documentary about Ivan, which you can now watch in full on YouTube.

YouTube @ SXSW 2011
A vast array of musicians and filmmakers are in Austin this week for the SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Festival, and so is YouTube. We showcased several YouTube artists—including Beardyman, Playing for Change, Oh Land and Das Racist—at a party Tuesday night, and other events include artists like The Antlers, The Joy Formidable, Wild Flag, Khaira Arby, The Sway Machinery, tUnE-yArDs, !!!, Ted Leo, Edwyn Collins, James Blake and Colin Stetson. You can find videos of many of these folks on YouTube, and look out for video from some of the events next week.



Apply to the YouTube Creator Institutes's inaugural class
We know there are people out there who have always wanted to express themselves through video, but may be limited by funding, video-making skills or insufficient tools. That’s why YouTube is establishing the YouTube Creator Institute—the first initiative from YouTube Next—to help nurture content creators, existing YouTube partners and the next generation of stellar YouTube talent. For details, visit www.youtube.com/creatorinstitute.



This week's trends: Dr. Seuss, politics and more
Here are a few of the YouTube Trends that have gotten the community talking in the past couple of weeks:

• On the author's birthday, we studied YouTube Dr. Seuss readings
• We saw how satellite images can help add perspective on dramatic footage from Libya
• And we looked into just what in the world that "Apaci Dansi" video is actually all about

World View interview with John Boehner now online
If you missed the YouTube interview with Speaker of the House John Boehner as part of the YouTube World View program, you can now watch it in full. Stay tuned for upcoming interviews.



We’ll update you again in a few weeks. In the meantime, head over to the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube Highlights 3/3/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch, and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

In past weeks, we’ve featured two more YouTube interviews with leaders through the World View program and seen more footage come in from across the Middle East as unrest there continues.

David Cameron and John Boehner on YouTube
In YouTube World View’s second interview, YouTube and Al Jazeera English sat down with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Ten thousand people submitted questions, and in the interview, the Prime Minister shared his thoughts on what should be done in Libya, and talked about increased taxes for banks in the U.K. and Britain’s role in Afghanistan.

And as the budget debate rages on the U.S. Capitol Hill, we asked viewers from across the U.S. and around the world to submit questions to Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH). The final interview will be posted to YouTube on Friday, March 4.

We’ll have another interview in the coming weeks—check YouTube World View for more details soon.



Join us on YouTube for Carnaval in Brazil
An estimated 100 million people travel to Brazil each year to experience Carnaval, the iconic celebration on the streets of Salvador, Bahia. This year, you can join the festivities on the Carnaval YouTube channel via computer or mobile phone. Watch live feeds of Salvador’s multi-day street fest from Thursday, March 3 through Tuesday, March 8. If you’re lucky enough to be there in person, find out how to buy a pass to Google’s street-side camarote (cabin) at the celebration at www.youtube.com/carnaval.

February’s “On The Rise” winner
After tens of thousands of votes, D-trix from theDOMINICshow has been named February’s “On The Rise” contest winner. He beat out tornado chasers, graphic artists and pop stars for the honor. When D-trix isn’t spoofing Justin Bieber, he’s dancing or teaching people how to rap. Congratulations!

Making YouTube seven times faster
To help you better enjoy all the great content that’s uploaded to YouTube every minute, we recently increased speed for uploads and playback. Google’s cloud computing capabilities help us process videos in chunks on different machines—making our video-processing seven times faster than in 2008.

Ad Blitz winner
Super Bowl ads are always a big draw of the game. This year, we added Super Bowl spots to the Ad Blitz gallery so you could vote for your favorites. More than 2.7 million votes were cast, and 3.5 million views took place on mobile devices. This year’s winner, Chrysler, was featured on the YouTube masthead for the Saturday following the game.



This week’s trends on YouTube
Here are a few recent highlights from YouTube Trends:

• Britney Spears built up anticipation for her latest music video.

• Dramatic footage poured in from across the Middle East: Libya, Iran, Algeria and Yemen.

• A funny moment from "Family Feud" got "passed around."


We’ll have another update for you in a couple of weeks. Until then, visit us at the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube Highlights 2/17/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

A lot has happened since our last update, including protests in Egypt, a major U.S. sporting event, the launch of the Google Art project and the Grammy Music Awards—all portrayed in different ways by YouTube and our global community.

Footage of protests in the Middle East on YouTube
Thousands of videos of the protests in Egypt earlier this month were uploaded to YouTube, giving people access to raw footage shot by Egyptians on the ground. People around the world could access these videos by visiting CitizenTube, YouTube’s news and politics channel, or watching live coverage on Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English YouTube channels, as well as Fox News' and Arabic broadcaster Al-Arabiya’s YouTube channels. We’ve also been working with news curation group Storyful to curate videos from the protest movements in Bahrain, Iran, Yemen, Algeria and Libya—you can check out highlights on CitizenTube.

This week’s trends on YouTube
Each weekday, YouTube Trends takes a look at the most interesting videos and cultural phenomena on YouTube. Here’s a sampling from the past two weeks:

• The most popular videos in Wisconsin the day after Green Bay won its trophy
• Gospel music: it’s popular in both expected and unexpected places
• Powerful footage from the protests in Egypt
• University of Connecticut quarterback Johnny McEntee's football skills

2011 Nonprofit Video Awards
For the second year in a row, we’re working to help nonprofits succeed through the DoGooder Nonprofit Video Awards, a celebration of the best nonprofit video on the site. Submit your nonprofit’s video at www.youtube.com/nonprofitvideoawards. Prizes include $2,500 grants from the Case Foundation, Flip cams, free admission to the Nonprofit Technology Conference and a spotlight on the YouTube homepage.

Showtime’s “SHORT stories” recruits short filmmakers
Showtime wants to feature cutting-edge web filmmakers through its “SHORT stories” series. If you’re a filmmaker interested in the project, find out more from Showtime's Trevor Noren.

The big game: find out which ads garnered the most views
The halftime ads during the U.S.’s biggest sporting event, the Super Bowl, are notoriously popular—and this past game was no exception. YouTube Trends analyzed which ads were the most-searched commercials in the hours following the big game and compiled the top 10 most-viewed ads the day after.
 We also discovered some fun facts about the big game: Did you know that an estimated 69.6 million pounds of avocados were consumed on that Sunday? Or that this time was the first Super Bowl with no cheerleaders? Check out YouTube AdBlitz to watch any ads you may have missed.

Events worth watching
In case you missed them live, you can still catch up on some of the big happenings of the past few weeks on YouTube:

• The Grammys: Catch behind-the-scenes footage from the Sunday, February 13 awards ceremony on YouTube or visit youtube.com/thegrammys
• Fashion Week: During Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (February 10-17), we've been bringing viewers the hottest designers’ shows, from Carolina Herrera to Herve Leger to Alice & Olivia; visit www.youtube.com/liverunway for more
• Birthday tribute for the “The Great Communicator”: Sunday, February 6 would have been the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. Find many of his iconic speeches, such as this message to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as tributes and historical videos on YouTube

We’ll update you again in a few weeks. In the meantime, visit the YouTube Blog for more on ongoing programs such as On the Rise and YouTube Trends.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube Highlights 2/3/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Since our last update, we’ve connected you with the U.S. President via an exclusive YouTube interview, brought the Sundance Film Festival to your virtual door and launched a new homepage that’s personalized to your interests.

YouTube World View kicks off
For the second year in a row, President Obama sat down with YouTube for his first interview after the State of the Union speech. The President took the opportunity to respond to the protests in Egypt, address concerns on jobs, debt and health care, and to answer a series of more personal questions that you submitted in video and text via YouTube.

This interview marks the beginning of the YouTube World View program, a series of interviews that will let you ask important questions of public leaders and big thinkers from around the world.



U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner will be doing a YouTube Interview soon, so stay tuned for more news on how to participate.

“Life in a Day” premiered at Sundance
We premiered the world’s largest user-generated documentary “Life in a Day” last week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. After months of hard work, Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald and a team of editors created a 90-minute documentary film based on thousands of videos uploaded from around the world on a single day—July 24, 2010. The film will be distributed in the U.S. on the one-year anniversary of that date and available on YouTube at the same time. Between now and then, “Life in a Day” will play at film festivals worldwide and international distribution deals will be put in place in other regions.

YouTube and the Sundance Film Institute also teamed up to bring you a collection of past and present short films in the YouTube Screening Room.

The Onion’s A.V. Club “Inventory” lists comes to YouTube
The Onion’s sister publication the A.V. Club debuted a new video series on YouTube called “Inventory,” based on the popular lists that catalog the unconventional—everything from the “19 artists who dramatically reinvented themselves after their early work” to “25 songs about outdated (and soon-to-be outdated) technology.”

YouTube partner Josh Sundquist is January’s “On the Rise” star
Our congratulations to Josh Sundquist, who edged past Luke Conard in the final hours to win this month’s edition of On the Rise, a program in which you decide who gets featured on the YouTube homepage based on a shortlist of channels that have experienced fast growth in the last month.

The “Bobee?” Track this and other trends
Each weekday, YouTube Trends takes a look at the most interesting videos and cultural phenomena on YouTube as they develop. We comb through YouTube's search data to investigate top spiking search terms and the videos they lead to. For example, we've recently come across a new dance craze popping up in Taiwan called "Bobee.” Find out what other interesting trends we’ve uncovered.



New YouTube homepage for everyone
With the new YouTube homepage, rolled out to everyone this month, our goal was to put more of an emphasis on "videos for you.” So we removed or moved some elements of the page to make room for videos that matter more to you—your subscriptions, friends’ sharing and recommendations. We hope you enjoy more videos as a result and are always open to hearing your suggestions for improvement.

Five questions for Jack Conte and Natalie Dawn, Pomplamoose
What you hear is what you get with Pomplamoose, a YouTube musical partner that’s garnered millions of video views on YouTube. Every sound you hear in their music videos is produced by an instrument you see played in their music videos—a refreshingly old-fashioned idea they call the “videosong.” Pomplamoose’s approach to original music has opened up opportunities for them in other arenas like TV (see their Hyundai commercials). Learn how they got their start.



We’ll update you again in a few weeks. In the meantime, you can get frequent updates from the team on the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube Highlights 1/20/11

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Since our last update, we’ve featured new music programs, brought you closer to what’s going on in government and highlighted some of the best ads of 2010.

Music videos now on YouTube app for Android
We’ve welcomed VEVO’s extensive library of official music videos from artists like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kanye West and U2 onto the YouTube 2.0 app for Android, available for mobile phones running Android 2.2 (Froyo). Enjoy!

Broken Social Scene goes live on YouTube
Earlier this week, Canada’s indie rock collective Broken Social Scene kicked off their Winter 2011 tour with a live performance at NYC’s Terminal 5. You can still catch the show on http://www.youtube.com/bowerypresents.



Your window into the 112th U.S. Congress
John Boehner, the new Speaker of the United States House, and House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa are making the activities of the House of Representatives more accessible to U.S. citizens via YouTube. Starting in this 112th Congress, all committee hearings of the House Oversight committee will be available on YouTube, on a new channel called HouseResourceOrg. This was made possible via a Google Project 10^100 grant made to Carl Malamud at PublicResource.org, who will be working with the House to access and upload all of the hearings that the Oversight Committee holds.

Meet the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011
The new members of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 have been selected: 101 people from more than 30 countries around the world are heading to Sydney Opera House to rehearse together for the first time under the conductorship of Michael Tilson Thomas. Come meet the winners and stay tuned for the final performance on Sunday, March 20, which will be streamed live to the world on YouTube.

A sneak peek at “Life in a Day”
In anticipation of the world premiere of “Life in a Day,” at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival next week, we’re releasing a series of clips between now and then. Life in a Day is a documentary film directed by Oscar-winner Kevin Macdonald, produced by Ridley Scott, and filmed on July 24, 2010 by thousands of YouTube users around the world. Watch the first teaser below.



Looking back at the best YouTube ads of 2010
2010 was a breakout year for online video advertising. Earning people’s attention has become ever more challenging—but that’s only making advertising more fun. Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” was ranked number one among YouTube ads in an informal poll of the YouTube advertising team and reporters in the industry. Find out what other ads topped last year’s list.



Until next time, visit the YouTube Blog for news and updates.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube Highlights 1/6/2011

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Happy New Year! Since our last update, we’ve rolled out some new programs and features to help you share and discover great video content on YouTube. We’ve also got advice and tips on how to succeed as a videomaker, content publisher or advertiser on YouTube.

Sports favorites on YouTube and ESPN
More than 2,000 YouTubers submitted sports videos to “Play of the Year,” vying to make it onto ESPN’s SportsCenter. After closely reviewing thousands of entries, we’d like to congratulate the winner of the latest YouTube | ESPN Your Highlight Presented by AT&T, Jay Fleming of Nashville, TN. In this video, shot by his father, the one-armed swimmer won his heat in the 25m fly at the 2010 Nashville city swim meet. See the runners-up here.



YouTube Trends feature helps you find your favorite content
With 35 hours of video now being uploaded to YouTube every minute, keeping up can be a challenge. With YouTube Trends, you can watch the hottest local videos in your area and see how to stay on top of the latest popular videos and content overall on YouTube. Tune in so you don’t miss YouTube’s best content.

New capabilities for YouTube
We’ve been working to make it easier customize your YouTube experience so you can both discover and share great content.

• Personalize your own YouTube homepage. Opt in to try enhancements such as recommended videos based on your viewing history, what your friends are up to, a single place to view all the videos you’ve subscribed to and more.
• Send a personal video greeting. We’ve made it easier for friends and families to stay in touch through video greetings. Try the “Unlisted” feature to share videos with a specific URL so only those people you want to view a video will see it.
• Customize your personal video greeting using background themes and other bells and whistles. You can quickly make original videos starting with video templates from third-party tools from Animoto, Stupeflix and Xtranormal.

New $1,000+ partner grants
Whether you’re a filmmaker, musician or other content provider, you can continue to build the next generation of media companies as a YouTube partner. To help spur our partners’ success, 500 of our top 2010 partners worldwide received new grants of $1,000 to $5,000 to help fund the necessary tools (cameras, sound equipment, etc.) to produce even higher-quality videos and garner bigger audiences.

Useful advice and tips for filmmakers
The web and YouTube continue to change filmmaking and online video publishing, and you can take part.

• Gain insight and tips on why it’s important to surround your videos with context.
• Filmmaker Sam Kauffmann, Professor of Film at Boston University, has chosen to tell his stories using short documentaries and the web. Find out why.
• Learn how the web has changed film school.
• Learn how to share videos on YouTube courtesy of TeachParentsTech.org.

Ads Worth Spreading with TED
TED and YouTube have issued a challenge called Ads Worth Spreading, and you’re invited to submit an entry. TED’s mission is to spread worthy ideas around the world—and why should advertising be different? We believe that advertising should make you think, respond and want to share—whether it’s a great idea, a product that makes the world better or an initiative that might change the world. So create an ad that makes a difference—see the submission rules here.

We’ll update you again in a few weeks. In the meantime, get more info from us on the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube Highlights 12/16/2010

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you an update on new product features, interesting programs to watch, and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Since our last update, we’ve taken a look at the year on YouTube, asked for your ideas on how to make the world a better place, launched a series of contests and announced a wave of new features. We have a lot to cover!

The year on YouTube
From videos that blew our minds to ones that made dreams come true, the Top 10 YouTube videos show what video stars captured the world’s attention this year. In the past year, viewers watched more than 700 billion YouTube videos, and uploaded more than 13 million hours of video. See what people watched in 2010:



We are also counting down YouTube highlights for the year with the New Year’s Countdown.

Your ticket to Davos, Switzerland
Do you have an idea about how to close the poverty gap? If so, submit it to the Davos Debates program for a chance to win an all-access pass to the World Economic Forum in Davos. To enter, submit a one-minute video sharing your ideas about the importance of inclusive growth—economic growth that benefits everyone—a key theme of this year’s event. The deadline to submit your ideas is January 14, so visit the Davos channel today.

Your vote counts on YouTube
Your opinion can help determine bragging rights for artists of all stripes. Get the chance to weigh in on your favorite music star, auditions for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra—and find out who won another recent competition.

• Rihanna or Justin Bieber? Show these artists how devoted you are with the MyYouTube contest. Artists score points if you subscribe to their channels and share with your friends. You, in turn, get their latest videos delivered to your YouTube homepage and get to win some great prizes.
• We’re down to 336 finalists from 46 countries for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and voting ends on December 17. The winners will perform for a global audience at the Sydney Opera House in March 2011.
• The winner of this month’s “On the Rise” competition is the irresistible Jack Russell terrier, Jesse. Check out some of his fun antics.

Creating an efficient, healthy home
Ask any working parent and they’ll tell you they have two jobs: the day job, and the one that takes up all the other hours of the day—that of “Chief Household Officer” (CHO). A new YouTube series from HP takes you inside the lives of women who meet the demands of work and family using new media know-how.

Eating right can also be a challenge for busy families. Sesame Street and Chef Art Smith have teamed up to raise awareness about how families can eat healthy food on a budget. See what Elmo and Chef Art have to say.

New features for YouTube
We’ve made a handful of updates over the last two weeks to make your viewing experience and more robust:

• Enhanced the video discovery experience in Leanback with Personalized Channels.
• Allowing selected users to upload videos that are longer than 15 minutes.

• Improvements to annotations including a new annotation editor and a new title annotation type.

And we announced the three-year anniversary of Content ID, a technology that lets rights holders control their content online.

Google Apps for YouTube
Businesses and organizations using Google Apps can now use YouTube. YouTube can help Google Apps customers in lots of ways—whether archiving company videos, marketing their company through branded video channels, or assisting with private, internal communications.

We’ll update you again in a few weeks. Till then, for more information on what we’re up to, head on over to our YouTube Blog. Happy holidays and see you in 2011!

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube highlights – 12/2/2010

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Since our last update, we’ve premiered a new film on YouTube, highlighted a host of holiday content to get you geared up for cooking, entertaining and decorating with style, celebrated the one-year anniversary of auto-captions on YouTube and introduced a “viewer’s choice” video ad format.

New film premieres on YouTube
Wong Fu Productions (Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, Philip Wang) and Ryan Higa premiered their new film, Agents of Secret Stuff, on YouTube. Written in a few days and shot in an intense week by a small crew, the movie is a powerful example of what a little ingenuity and a video camera can do. More than 3 million people have already checked out the film, which is about an assassin trying to fit into high school while carrying out an assignment.



Cooking for the holidays
If you’re looking to pick up a few new culinary tricks for the holidays, you can learn how to make chocolate sea salt crostini, scalloped oysters and more from Chef John Mitzewich, star of YouTube’s most subscribed cooking channel, FoodWishes. More than 97,000 foodies have viewed Chef John’s 500th video posted to YouTube, Potato Ball in Potato Box. He recently answered a few questions about how he makes his videos and the trends he’s seeing in viewer demand for recipes.



More recipes and how-to tips on the YouTube Holiday Solutions Center
Every holiday season we see a surge in viewers searching for cooking videos and recipes on YouTube. To discover a delicious new dish, check out the YouTube Holiday Solutions Center, where we’ve collected a range of videos on a single channel from party-planning experts such as Chow.com, Cool Mom, the Food Network, Real Simple, Southern Living and Target. In addition to recipes, this channel also includes fun projects and home decorating tips.

Happy birthday to YouTube’s automatic captions
November 19 marked one year since we launched automatic captions on YouTube. Captions not only help the deaf and hearing impaired, but with machine translation, they also let people around the world access video content in any of 51 languages. Captions can also improve search and even enable people to jump to the exact parts of the videos they're looking for. Since last year, people have watched video with automatic captions more than 23 million times. We’ve also seen more than 7.6 million caption translations.

How to upload great-looking web video and other helpful tips
Heather Menicucci, director of the Howcast Filmmakers Program, has returned to the YouTube Blog for her series of tips on improving your video-making skills. In one post, Clayton Long, producer for the Bajillionaires Club, offers his expertise on the preferred genres, cameras and workflows for making web videos. For advanced videomakers, Professor Compressor provides insights on best-quality codecs (H.264 and MP4), how to fix common issues such as video that looks squished or stretched, why multi-pass encoding is important and more.

Choice and control with TrueView Video Ads
Our new family of ad formats called TrueView Video Ads gives viewers choice and control over which advertiser’s message they want to see and when. We think TrueView has something for everyone: consumers choose ads that are more relevant to them, advertisers more precisely find the audiences they want, and content creators continue to fund great content with an ad experience that is less intrusive. Read our announcement on the InsideAdWords blog.

We’ll update you again in a few weeks. Till then, for more information on what we’re up to, head on over to our YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube highlights – 11/18/2010

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch, and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Since our last update, we’ve reached a new milestone in video uploads, seen new comedy and music programs launch, and shared a new, more “cinematic” YouTube viewing experience with Google Chrome. Read about all of it below.

35 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute
Remember in March when we shared that more than 24 hours of video was being uploaded to YouTube every minute? Well, our users continue to amaze us, and as of last week, 35 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. If we were to measure that in movie terms (assuming the average Hollywood film is around 120 minutes long), it’s the equivalent of more than 176,000 full-length Hollywood releases every week.

Laugh along with us and Comedy Thunder
NextNewNetworks, the YouTube partner responsible for bringing original content like Obama Girl and Key of Awesome to YouTube, recently launched a new series called “Comedy Thunder.” Eight comedy teams and comedians will each post a video based on a specific theme that changes every week. Here’s one of the latest videos:



Do you love K-POP?
Korean pop music or “K-POP” has earned millions of fans around the world. MBC, a major TV network in Korea, has joined with YouTube to search the world for the next big K-POP talent. Check out some of the top Korean music labels like YG Entertainment, SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment for inspiration before submitting an audition video. Don’t worry if you don’t speak Korean; you can audition in any language.


The Mexican Revolution on YouTube
November 20 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution and we’ll observe that anniversary on YouTube by celebrating a new revolution: Mexican film-making. Thanks to YouTube partner Mubi, we’ll present feature film Revolución, made up of 10 individual shorts that explore the topic of Mexico’s revolution from celebrated filmmakers such as Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Carlos Reygadas, Rodrigo Garcia and Patricia Riggen. You’ll also have the opportunity to get your questions answered by the filmmakers using Google Moderator for YouTube.



Google Chrome browser extensions for YouTube
For you movie buffs out there, we did some research and found a few handy Chrome extensions that can make your YouTube viewing experience more “cinematic.” For example, Window Expander for YouTube maximizes YouTube videos to fill your entire browser. With Turn Off the Lights, you can make the entire page outside the video fade to dark like you’re in a movie theater. The OpinionCloud extension summarizes comments on YouTube, so you can quickly get the crowd’s overall opinion.

The Google Chrome team also recently released an extension called YouTube Feed, which notifies you whenever new videos are available in your YouTube homepage feed. You can directly access, rate and like videos—right in your browser.

Give YouTube Topics on Search a whirl
We know that sometimes people come to YouTube looking for a specific video, but at other times, they have only a rough idea of the kind of videos they want. We’ve been there too, and have been thinking for a while about this challenge of searching when you don’t yet know exactly what you’re looking for. Here’s our take on how discovery for videos could work on YouTube in the not-too-distant future. Find out what happens when we search for [LOL] and [cat] to find funny cat videos.



YouTube marketing tips for advertisers
Many businesses use YouTube to get the word out about their company, launch a new product or connect with customers. Orabrush has earned 13 million video views from a video made for just $500 about its tongue-cleaner, and has used YouTube along with Google AdWords to achieve more than $1 million in sales. The Orabrush team offered five tips for success in this recorded webcast with AdAge.

And finally—if you missed the live-streamed Bon Jovi concert, you can still catch it on the band’s YouTube channel. To stay-up-to-date on YouTube news and events, visit us on the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, The YouTube Team

YouTube highlights – 11/4/2010

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular updates on new product features, interesting programs to watch, and tips you can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

Below is our update from the last two weeks with news from the recent U.S. elections, product improvements, video contests for both viewers and partners and a couple milestones reached.

Debating the issues on YouTube
Leading up to the US midterm elections this past Tuesday, political campaigns, voters and interest groups came to YouTube to debate the issues. Who emerged on top of the YouTube elections heap? We took a look at all videos categorized as News & Politics on YouTube and found a mixture of official campaign videos, viewer-generated content and videos from interest groups. Here are the top 10 most-viewed videos—by the numbers.

Celebrate the natural world
If you enjoy nature or are passionate about environmental issues, a new program gives you the chance to create a video that brings your passion to life. The most innovative short film—judged by the YouTube community—will receive a National Geographic photography workshop and $1,000 gift card from The North Face. Get started at Planet Inspired.

Release notes: improvements in 3D, new languages and easier bug reporting
We’ve made several updates since our last product release in September. Try our new player for 3D videos, which is faster than the previous player. YouTube is also now available in Amharic and Swahili, and the virtual keyboard that appears on your computer or mobile screen is available in 26 languages. Finally, we’ve added a "report a bug" link at the bottom of any YouTube page.

Here's where you can turn on the virtual keyboard

On the rise
Many YouTube partners are hitting subscriber numbers in the 100,000s and even in the millions. To help more video makers get to those kind of subscriber numbers, we started a new feature on the YouTube Blog called “On the Rise,” where your vote counts on who should be featured on the YouTube hompage. So far, emilynoel83 has received the most votes—check out an example of her work below.



A billion subscribers and a half a billion Promoted Video views
In 2006, we introduced an easy way for community members to keep track of each other’s updates on YouTube: the yellow subscribe button. When you subscribe to a channel and sign in, new videos from that channel show up as “Subscriptions” on your personalized YouTube homepage. Today, the button that’s been immortalized as a throw cushion hits an important landmark: it’s been clicked more than 1 billion times.

We also announced last week that Promoted Videos has hit half a billion views. Promoted Videos allow you to promote your video ad alongside search results and related videos on YouTube. The first Promoted Video campaign was “Penny Pranks” by Office Max in November 2008.

And congratulations to Lady Gaga who has received more than 1 billion video views on her YouTube channel!

Happy Halloween
Finally, Halloween’s already over, but we wanted to make sure you didn’t miss the first-ever user-designed doodle, which was created by xperpetualmotion and spent last Sunday on our homepage.

Don’t forget to check out the latest advice on filmmaking in the digital age, and for more information on all things YouTube, please visit us at the YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, YouTube Team

YouTube highlights – 10/21/2010

This is the latest in our series of YouTube highlights. Every couple of weeks, we bring you regular product features, interesting programs to watch and tips anyone can use to grow your audience on YouTube. Just look for the label “YouTube Highlights” and subscribe to the series. – Ed.

From a video biennial in New York to classical music in Sydney to 24 hours of live-streaming comedy courtesy of Conan O’Brien, we’ve got a lot to cover! Below is our update from the past two weeks.

YouTube Play: live from the Guggenheim
Later today (Thursday), the YouTube Play jury will announce the top 25 creative videos selected from the 23,000 submissions received for the Biennial of Creative Video. In celebration, YouTube and the Guggenheim have partnered to host a one-of-a-kind art exhibition and event featuring music, collaborations, eye-popping projections and, of course, some really fantastic videos. If you’re in New York, you can catch some of the projections on the façade of the Guggenheim tonight and tomorrow (sneak peek below). Or head to youtube.com/play to catch the event live, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Video submissions from YouTube Play projected on the Guggenheim in New York City

YouTube users discuss ideas to help fix the global economy
YouTube users often have a lot of useful, imaginative and altruistic ideas—including thoughts on how to fix the global economy. For example, take The Young Turks and How the World Works, a.k.a. Cenk Uyger and Lee Doran, who’ve brought their political commentary beyond YouTube to a special forum on Reuters.com focused on fixing the economic slowdown for good.

Dancing tacos? 80’s aerobics? Intern Twister?
What could these things possibly have in common? A 24-hour webcast by Conan O’Brien (of course)! You can now watch Conan and Team Coco prepare for their upcoming show on TBS with “behind-the-scenes” footage filmed from a webcam strategically situated on their office’s second floor stairwell. What could possibly go wrong?

Audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra’s 2011 performance
Two years ago, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the world’s first online collaborative orchestra, debuted at Carnegie Hall. It’s back, and this time a new round of performers will be playing their part onstage at the iconic Sydney Opera House in March 2011. Find out how you can audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 presented by Hyundai.



Leanback premieres on Google TV
We recently announced YouTube Leanback in beta, and now it’s on Google TV. When you view YouTube in Leanback on Google TV (or online), you’ll see videos begin to play immediately based on your subscriptions and viewing history. You can watch popular and interesting videos in genres like Comedy, Entertainment, News, Science & Technology and How To & Style, or rent full-length movies and TV shows from the youtube.com/store.

Calling musicians worldwide
For singers, songwriters or bands looking to promote their music, we’ve extended our Musicians Wanted program to Argentina, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. This program lets musicians make money from their videos. Find out where to sign up here.

Get your viewers’ undivided attention
If you’re an advertiser, you might be interested to know that according to Nielsen, the average American watches five hours of TV per day. Five. Hours. But a new study conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates, YouTube and Next New Networks found that viewers are 2.5 times more likely to pay full attention to video content created specifically for the web than to TV. This finding suggests that advertisers can take advantage of opportunities to reach viewers online—where they are most fully engaged.

Country duo Sugarland live from New York City
Finally, if you missed the live-streamed Sugarland concert on YouTube, you can still catch the third installment of our “Unstaged” series with Vevo and American Express. Directed by Kenny Ortega of High School Musical and Dirty Dancing fame, highlights from the show included songs from the band’s new album, The Incredible Machine, a special guest appearance by Ronnie Dunn and behind-the-scenes footage with band members who answered questions tweeted by fans.



Don’t forget to check out our continuing series of tips on how to thrive at YouTube and for more information on what we’re up to, head on over to our YouTube Blog.

Posted by Serena Satyasai, Marketing Manager, YouTube Team