WebProNews

Tag: YouTube

  • YouTube Is Ending Overlay Ads

    YouTube Is Ending Overlay Ads

    YouTube is ending its overlay ad format, with April 6th slated as its termination date.

    The company made the announcement in a blog post:

    Starting on April 6th, 2023, the “Overlay ads” ad format will no longer appear on YouTube to help improve the viewer experience and shift engagement to higher performing ad formats on desktop and mobile devices. Overlay ads are a legacy ad format that only served on desktop and are disruptive for viewers. We expect to see limited impact for most Creators as engagement shifts to other ad formats.

    As the company highlights, this particular ad format only appeared on the desktop, so the overall impact should be relatively minor.

    YouTube recently had a CEO changeover, with long-time CEO Susan Wojcicki resigning to focus on “family, health, and personal projects” she is passionate about. Neal Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, is taking over as the company’s new CEO.

    While there’s nothing to suggest that the change of CEO is behind the ad format decision, it wouldn’t necessarily be surprising. It’s not uncommon for companies to make changes under new leadership, and it could be that trimming an under-used format is Mohan’s first move.

  • YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki, Big Tech’s Last Female CEO, Resigns

    YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki, Big Tech’s Last Female CEO, Resigns

    YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has sent an email to employees informing them that she is resigning as head of the company.

    Wojcicki joined Google twenty-five years ago, holding a number of roles within the company. The last nine years she has served as CEO of YouTube. In her email to employees, Wojcicki said she looks forward to the next chapter of her life:

    Today, after nearly 25 years here, I’ve decided to step back from my role as the head of YouTube and start a new chapter focused on my family, health, and personal projects I’m passionate about.

    Neal Mohan, YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, will be taking over as head of the company. Wojcicki says she will support Mohan during the transition, and then take an advisory role across the company:

    As for me, in the short term, I plan to support Neal and help with the transition, which will include continuing to work with some YouTube teams, coaching team members, and meeting with creators. In the longer term, I’ve agreed with Sundar to take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet. This will allow me to call on my different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google and the portfolio of Alphabet companies. It’s an incredibly important time for Google—it reminds me of the early days—incredible product and technology innovation, huge opportunities, and a healthy disregard for the impossible.

    Susan Wojcicki was the only woman at the top of a Big Tech company. Her presence, as well as the perspective she brought, is sure to be missed

  • YouTube App Is Causing Some Apple TVs to Lock Up

    YouTube App Is Causing Some Apple TVs to Lock Up

    Apple TV users are experiencing problems with YouTube, with the app causing some Apple TVs to lock up.

    Apple TV is a popular streaming device that offers a variety of apps and services, including YouTube. Unfortunately, users are reporting an issue when trying to exit the app.

    First noticed by MacRumors, users have been taking to Twitter and Reddit to discuss the issue. It appears to happen when users try to press the Back button on their remote to exit the app, prompting a confirmation dialogue. Once confirmed, the Apple TV appears to lock up, with the TV screen going black. The only way to recover is to force-quit the app, or unplug the replug the Apple TV.

    YouTube’s response on Twitter has not been especially helpful, or shed much light on the matter:

    sorry for the trouble! if you haven’t yet try restarting your device. deleting the app + reinstalling its latest version can also help

    TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube), December 11, 2022

    Hopefully YouTube will roll out an update soon that will fix the issue permanently.

  • A Guide to YouTube Advertising

    A Guide to YouTube Advertising

    YouTube is a compelling opportunity for businesses in their digital marketing and advertising strategies. One of the reasons advertising on YouTube can be advantageous is because it’s the second-most popular website in the world, with two billion visitors a month.

    YouTube is owned by Google, so when you advertise on the video-based search engine, you’re working in the Google Ads network.

    The following is a guide to advertising on YouTube and the basics of what you need to know to get started.

    Types of Ads

    There are a few main types of YouTube ads that are available. These include:

    In-Stream, Skippable Ads

    These ads are what you see playing before a video or during it, which is technically pre-roll or mid-roll. The key feature of in-stream, skippable ads is that a viewer can opt to skip them after the initial five seconds.

    If you’re the advertiser, you pay when viewers choose to keep watching past the first five seconds. Your ad has to be at least 12 seconds long, and you pay once someone watches the first 30 seconds or the whole thing. You’ll also pay if they interact with your ad via a click—it’s whichever comes first that advertisers pay for.

    Non-Skippable Ads That Are In-Stream

    Around 76% of people on YouTube report automatically skipping ads. This leads advertisers to run ads pre-roll or mid-roll with no skip button. If you want a lift in brand awareness and you think your creative will hold the attention of your audience for a full 15 seconds, you might use these ads.

    With non-skippable ads, the advertiser pays per impression.

    There’s also a sub-category of these non-skippable ads—bumper ads. These are six seconds long, and they’re the same as the non-skippable in-stream ad in that you pay for impressions. They’re best for awareness and reach campaigns.

    Discovery Ads

    In-stream ads are like commercials on traditional TV, but discovery ads are more like what you see when you’re using Google to search for something.

    A discovery ad will show up with organic search results.

    A discovery ad includes three text lines and a thumbnail. When someone clicks on your ad, they’re directed to your YouTube channel or video page.

    Non-Video Ads

    If you don’t have the budget for video, YouTube also offers non-video ads.

    There are display ads that will show up on the right sidebar, and they include text and an image, as well as a link to your website and a CTA.

    In-video overlay ads are something that will show up as floating on top of video content from channels that are monetized.

    Creating a Campaign

    If you want to advertise on YouTube, the first thing you need to do is log into your Google Ads account and choose New Campaign.

    From there, you can choose your campaign goal, such as website traffic, leads, sales, or brand awareness and reach.

    You then choose your campaign type.

    Once you’ve chosen your type, you can choose your bid strategy, which will primarily be driven by your campaign type, and you’ll enter your budget. You can set up your budget by day, or you can do it as the total you’ll spend on the campaigns.

    Targeting Your Audience

    You’ll need buyer personas to target your audience, so if you haven’t already created them, it’s a good idea to do so.

    Demographics include things like household income, parental status, age, and gender. YouTube also goes more in-depth, so you can target groups like students, new parents, or new homeowners, just as a few examples.

    Interests are how you can target people based on their previous behavior.

    You can also use remarketing, so you’re targeting audiences that have already had an interaction with your business on your website, with your other videos, or using your app.

    Ad Specs

    If you’re using skippable or non-skippable stream video ads, then you have to upload them as a regular YouTube video first. The ad technical specs, like your dimensions and ad image sizes, should be the same as they would be for any other YouTube video.

    The exception to this is with Discovery ads. These have to be a maximum file size of 1 GB. Discovery ads need to have an aspect ratio of 16:9 or 4:3, but YouTube can automatically adapt the file.

    The minimum length for skippable ads is 12 seconds. The maximum length for skippable ads is three minutes, and for YouTube kids, the limit is 60 seconds.

    Non-skippable ads can’t be more than 15 seconds long, and bumper ads have to be no more than six seconds long.

    The Pros of YouTube Advertising

    YouTube advertising is cost-effective. You can choose exactly what you’re willing to pay, and you’re only paying when someone takes a certain action that you determine.

    An upside of YouTube ads is also that it’s very targeted. You can get extremely detailed as you’re targeting the audience you want to reach.

    People tend to feel more connected to brands after watching a video. There’s the chance to better understand the company and see how a service or product works, and there are faces that can represent the brand in a video ad. You can also be the face of your brand, so you’re able to foster a strong connection with your audience.

    The YouTube ad metrics are easy to measure, and you’ll have access to a lot of insight as far as what works and what you could improve.

    The results can occur quickly since there are billions of monthly users. You’re simply getting your ads in front of a potentially huge pool of people, boosting your clicks, traffic, and sales.

    Video has a powerful emotional impact, making it one of the most effective approaches to advertising.

    The Downsides of YouTube Advertising

    As with anything, YouTube advertising does have a few downsides that marketers need to think about and consider too.

    People don’t love ads in their videos. While they might end up watching some of them if they get their attention, overall, they feel they’re intrusive.  If someone feels like your ad is intrusive and not offering them value, it might evoke negative emotions.

    You’re also still going to need an advertising budget, and you may not be able to afford much here, depending on what yours is.

    Best Practices

    If you think YouTube advertising could be right for your brand, there are certain things you should do when creating your ads.

    ·   Create an ad that’s immediately going to hook people. Maybe you choose a good song for the background, or you immediately work to evoke strong emotion.

    ·   Branding should ideally occur in your first five seconds and also throughout your ad if you’re working at the top of the funnel. If you’re creating ads for audiences that are further down your funnel, then you might be able to add branding later in your video, and that’ll increase your watch times while viewers are engaging with the story of your ad.

    ·   You want to have a story for your ad because this is how you’re going to be able to get an emotional response.

    ·   Make sure people know what step you want them to take next with your ad. You need a goal to measure how successful your ads are.

    ·   Answer a few questions when you’re creating an ad. Think about who the people you’re targeting are, what video content they already engage with online, and what aspects of that can be used and integrated with your own brand story.

    ·   Consider the context where your ad is going to appear. To understand this, get familiar with the type of video content your targeted audience is already engaging with and consuming.

    ·   One interesting way you can target your audience is to show your ad to people who have already searched for terms relevant to your business.

    ·   Use cards to encourage people to buy. A YouTube card is something that a viewer can click to expand. You can make the appearance of a card timed so that the users who are engaged with the video are the ones who will see it. You can feature products in the video using cards to drive purchases.

    ·   Use an end screen that drives subscribers to wherever you want them to go. For example, maybe you encourage them to subscribe to your channel to get future updates.

    ·   Use negative remarketing. For example, if you want to show an ad that’s only going to be for new users, you can exclude people who have previously interacted with you in some way.

    ·   Use closed captioning and, if relevant, transcriptions in other languages.

    Overall, YouTube is a powerful place to run your brand ads. Your paid advertising can work hand-in-hand with your organic social media strategy on YouTube. You do have to remember that these ads can get expensive and complex if you’re not working in a targeted way. You want to know your audience and let the preferences of the people you’re targeting guide the creative process to create your ads for YouTube.

  • YouTube Introduces Handles to Make It Easier to Find Creators & Channels

    YouTube Introduces Handles to Make It Easier to Find Creators & Channels

    YouTube is making it easier to find channels and creators with unique handles that will identify them.

    YouTube is the leading video platform, but finding creators can sometimes be a challenge. The platform wants to address that by giving creators unique handles that will identify them and their channel:

    When a creator chooses their handle, we’ll also create a matching URL (ex: youtube.com/@handle) so creators can easily direct people to their content when they’re not on YouTube. If a channel already has a personalized URL, there’s no need to update links: they’ll automatically be redirected to the new, handle-based URL to create a better, more unified presence for creators on YouTube.

    The new handles will make it easier for users to mention creators in comments and help improve visibility. YouTube will begin rolling out the new feature over the next month:

    Over the next month, we will notify creators when they can choose a handle for their channel. In most cases, if a channel already has a personalized URL, that will automatically become their default handle, or they can opt to change the handle for their channel as soon as the notification in YouTube Studio comes through. Because handles must be unique and every channel on YouTube will have one, we’re rolling them out gradually. The timing of when a creator will get access to the handles selection process depends on a number of factors, including overall YouTube presence, subscriber count and whether the channel is active or inactive.

  • YouTube Makes a Play to Poach TikTok Creators

    YouTube Makes a Play to Poach TikTok Creators

    YouTube is ponying up cash in an effort to convince TikTok creators to jump ship to its platform.

    TikTok has made countless careers, with creators capitalizing on the platform’s short-form videos to gain fame. Unfortunately, the platform is notorious for paying its creators a paltry amount, compared to competitors, less than a nickel per thousand views, according to the MIT Technology Review.

    YouTube clearly sees an opportunity and has announced plans to split revenue with creators for YouTube Shorts. Creators will receive 45%, while the record labels behind the music that is often featured in such videos will receive the remaining amount.

    “​​It’s a really big moment for creators,” Amjad Hanif, YouTube’s vice president of product management, told The Washington Post. “When we launched the partner program 15 years ago, it was the first of its kind and kicked off the creator economy. This brings all the goodness and benefits creators have felt from revenue sharing and brings it over to short form as well.”

    While the 45% revenue split is generating a ton of excitement within the creator community, YouTube has yet to reveal how much that will amount to.

  • Some YouTube Users Seeing 10 Ads Before a Video

    Some YouTube Users Seeing 10 Ads Before a Video

    YouTube is stretching the limits of its users’ patience, testing up to 10 ads before a video.

    A Reddit post popped up earlier this week, with users discussing the fact that YouTube is routinely displaying five or six ads at a time before a video plays. To make matters worse, the ads are unskippable, and the videos still have longer, albeit skippable, ads midway through.

    According to TechViral, some users see as many as 10 ads before the start of a video.

    According to a tweet by TeamYouTube, the company is experimenting with more ads but said each ad is no longer than six seconds.

  • Don’t Waste Time on YouTube’s Dislike Button; It Doesn’t Work

    Don’t Waste Time on YouTube’s Dislike Button; It Doesn’t Work

    YouTube users smashing the “Dislike” button are likely wasting their time, according to new research from Mozilla.

    YouTube, like many online platforms, provides a button for individuals to dislike content. The idea is that disliking something will fine-tune the platform’s algorithm to show the user less content of a similar nature.

    According to Mozilla, however, the “Dislike” button doesn’t really work.

    Indeed, Mozilla’s research found that people who are experiencing unwanted recommendations and turn to the platform’s user controls for assistance prevent less than half of unwanted recommendations.

    The issue is made even worse as a result of the type of content often found on YouTube.

    This is especially troubling because Mozilla’s past research shows that YouTube recommends videos that violate its very own community guidelines, like misinformation, violent content, hate speech, and spam. For example, one user in this most recent research asked YouTube to stop recommending war footage from Ukraine — but shortly after was recommended even more grisly content from the region.

    Needless to say, users don’t trust YouTube’s controls to provide them with the tailored experience they’re looking for.

    “We learned that people don’t feel YouTube’s user controls are effective tools for managing the content they see,” says Becca Ricks, Senior Researcher at Mozilla. “Our research validates these experiences — the data shows that people don’t actually have much control over the YouTube algorithm.”

    “Our study found that YouTube’s user controls have a negligible impact on preventing unwanted recommendations, leaving people at the mercy of YouTube’s recommender system,” adds Jesse McCrosky, data scientist with Mozilla. “As a result, YouTube continues to recommend videos that people have clearly signaled they do not want to see, including war footage and gruesome horror clips.”

  • YouTube’s ‘Creator Music’ Will Let Creators Monetize Videos Containing Licensed Music

    YouTube’s ‘Creator Music’ Will Let Creators Monetize Videos Containing Licensed Music

    YouTube is eliminating a major pain point for content creators, paving the way for them to be able to monetize videos containing licensed music.

    Content creators have had to tiptoe around licensed music for years. Even something as simple as showing off video gameplay often requires creators to mute the audio to avoid running afoul of licensing issues.

    YouTube is working on a solution, dubbed Creator Music, that will allow creators to buy licensed music for use in their videos. Creators will also be able to monetize those videos. Best of all, creators will have a choice whether to pay upfront or split revenue from their videos with the artist behind the music.

    We’re introducing Creator Music, a new destination in YouTube Studio that gives YouTube creators easy access to an ever-growing catalog of music for use in their long-form videos. Creators can now buy affordable, high-quality music licenses that offer them full monetizing potential—they will keep the same revenue share they’d usually make on videos without any music.

    And for creators who don’t want to buy a license up front, they’ll be able to use songs and share revenue with the track’s artist and associated rights holders. Creator Music, currently in beta in the US and expanding to more countries in 2023, will offer a streamlined process for creators—they’ll be able to instantly see the terms for their song selection.

    The new feature will be a welcome improvement for content creators, giving them more freedom and flexibility than they have previously enjoyed.

  • YouTube and TikTok Are Blowing Facebook Away in Teen Usage

    YouTube and TikTok Are Blowing Facebook Away in Teen Usage

    Facebook has a major problem in its attempts to appeal to teens, with the platform being blown away by both YouTube and TikTok.

    Younger markets are critical for social media platforms and their future growth prospects. The more attached users are to a platform early on, and the more their online social lives are intertwined with it, the more impetus there will be for them to continue using it in the coming years.

    Unfortunately for Facebook, its usage among this critical demographic — ages 13 to 17 — has plummeted. According to Pew Research Center, the number of teens saying they use Facebook has dropped from 71% in 2014-2015 to a mere 32% in 2022. In contrast, 95% of teens use Google’s YouTube, while 67% use TikTok.

    Pew also found some interesting demographic differences within the target group.

    There are some notable demographic differences in teens’ social media choices. For example, teen boys are more likely than teen girls to say they use YouTube, Twitch and Reddit, whereas teen girls are more likely than teen boys to use TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. In addition, higher shares of Black and Hispanic teens report using TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp compared with White teens.

    The study is bad news for Facebook and may provide insight into why the company is pivoting so hard toward the metaverse. If Facebook can execute its vision for the metaverse, it may be able to reclaim its crown.

  • Who Needs Financial Advisors? Gen Z Prefers TikTok and YouTube

    Who Needs Financial Advisors? Gen Z Prefers TikTok and YouTube

    According to a new report, Gen Z prefers to get financial advice from TikTok and YouTube rather than traditional financial advisors.

    TikTok and YouTube aren’t just for a daily dose of cat videos or dance moves. Gen Z is increasingly looking to social media platforms for major life advice, including how to handle finances.

    According to Vericast’s latest research, 34% of Gen Z consumers would rather get financial advice from TikTok, while 33% would choose YouTube. Only 24% would prefer advice from a financial advisor.

    “It is clear that financial institutions have a critical need to innovate quickly and reimagine their approach to retain customers,” said Stephenie Williams, Vice President, Financial Institution Marketing Product and Strategy at Vericast. “Banks and credit unions need to meet customers where they are, not only positioning themselves as a go-to, trusted resource providing education through traditional strategies, but also using new channels and platforms to reach younger generations.”

    If Vericast is correct, “social media liason” may soon become an important position in top financial firms.

  • YouTube Finally Expands Picture-in-Picture on iOS

    YouTube Finally Expands Picture-in-Picture on iOS

    YouTube has finally expanded a widely requested feature on iPhones and iPads: Picture-in-Picture (PiP).

    PiP is the ability to display a video in a floating window while performing other tasks on the device. YouTube has been one of the last platforms to adopt PiP on Apple devices, only adding it for YouTube TV at the end of March. The company is now [rolling out PiP to more iOS and iPadOS devices](Picture-in-picture expanding to more people and devices – YouTube CommunityPicture-in-picture expanding to more people and devices – YouTube Community) — although with one big caveat: some features will be for Premium members only.

    Picture-in-Picture (PiP) is now rolling out to iPhone and iPad devices (running iOS and iPadOS 15.0 or higher) over the next several days. We recognize this has been a slow roll out for a highly requested feature, and want to thank everyone who shared feedback during experiments (including recently on youtube.com/new), and waited patiently for this moment!

    Despite the limitations, YouTube’s announcement is good news for iOS and iPadOS users.

  • Popular App YouTube Vanced Shuts Down

    Popular App YouTube Vanced Shuts Down

    Popular app YouTube Vanced has shut down, possible the result of legal intervention by Google.

    YouTube Vanced established itself as one of the most popular alternatives to the stock YouTube app, offering a wealth of additional features. Unfortunately, according to the company’s Twitter account, the app is shutting down.

    Vanced has been discontinued. In the coming days, the download links on the website will be taken down. We know this is not something you wanted to hear but it’s something we need to do. Thank you all for supporting us over the years.

    — Vanced Official (@YTVanced), March 13, 2022

    The company says existing copies can still be used for the next two years or so, until they become outdated and stop working.

    While the company gave no indication of the reason behind their decision in their tweet, it’s a safe bet it was the result of legal threats from Google.

  • YouTube Offering Top Podcasters $50K to Make the Jump to Video

    YouTube Offering Top Podcasters $50K to Make the Jump to Video

    YouTube is working to entice its top podcasters to make the jump to video, offering $50,000 to sweeten the deal.

    YouTube has been building its base of content subscribers, paying out $30 billion over the last three years. The company even shut down its YouTube Originals, thanks in no small part to having more than two million creators in the YouTube Partner Program.

    In its latest push, Ars Technica is reporting YouTube is offering some of its most popular podcasters $50,000 to switch to video. The money is aimed at helping these creators invest in the equipment they need to produce high-quality videos.

    While the company is offering $50,000 to individuals, some podcasting networks are receiving $200,000 to $300,000.

  • Roku and Google Settle YouTube TV Spat, Agree to Multi-Year Deal

    Roku and Google Settle YouTube TV Spat, Agree to Multi-Year Deal

    Roku and Google have settled their spat over YouTube TV, agreeing to a multi-year deal that will keep YouTube TV on the platform.

    Roku and Google have been at odds since April over terms for renewing their agreement for YouTube TV streaming. Google wanted access to more customer data than Roku was willing to give.

    “We have only asked Google for four simple commitments,” a Roku spokesperson told WebProNews at the time. “First, not to manipulate consumer search results. Second, not to require access to data not available to anyone else. Third, not to leverage their YouTube monopoly to force Roku to accept hardware requirements that would increase consumer costs. Fourth, not to act in a discriminatory and anticompetitive manner against Roku.”

    Roku ultimately pulled the YouTube TV app from its platform. Google retaliated by including streaming TV in its standard YouTube app for Roku.

    Despite the dispute, it appears the two companies have reached a new agreement, as announced by Roku on Twitter.

    It’s unclear at this time which company backed down from its demands.

  • Patreon Building Video Product to Help Creators Break Free of YouTube

    Patreon Building Video Product to Help Creators Break Free of YouTube

    Patreon is working on a video platform to help creators break free of their reliance on YouTube, a move that could have a major impact on the market.

    YouTube has long been the preferred video platform for content creators, although the relationship has not always been a rosy one. YouTube’s algorithms occasionally de-prioritizes content unfairly, and YouTube has de-monetized entire categories of videos.

    Many creators have taken to using Patreon to supplement their income, receiving donations from patrons that enjoy their content. According to The Verge, Patreon CEO Jack Conte says the company is building a video platform that could completely replace YouTube for many creators.

    “We already host podcasts, and now we’re starting to host video, as well,” he says. “We’re building a video product … So in terms of how we’ve approached our strategy, and what exactly it is that we’re building, we’re building the horizontal architecture for any creator, no matter their medium, or no matter the upload format, to be able to build a business around their work.”

    A Patreon video platform could be a game-changer for the subscription economy, and could eventually put a serious dent in YouTube’s popularity.

  • YouTube Nixing the Dislike Count

    YouTube Nixing the Dislike Count

    YouTube is removing the visible dislike count in an effort to combat harassment of content creators.

    Likes and dislikes are an important part of YouTube’s platform, playing a role in the algorithms that decide what content gets recommended. Dislikes can be problematic, however, as some creators find themselves on the receiving end of “dislike attacks,” where users try to drive up the number of dislikes, effectively tanking a video. Smaller channels are especially vulnerable to this behavior.

    We also heard directly from smaller creators and those just getting started that they are unfairly targeted by this behavior — and our experiment confirmed that this does occur at a higher proportion on smaller channels.

    To address the issues, YouTube says the dislike button will still be available for people to use, but the number of dislikes will no longer be publicly visible. The count will still be available privately for the content creator to see.

    Based on what we learned, we’re making the dislike counts private across YouTube, but the dislike button is not going away. This change will start gradually rolling out today.

    https://youtu.be/kxOuG8jMIgI
  • YouTube CEO Promotes Free Speech After Removing Russian App

    YouTube CEO Promotes Free Speech After Removing Russian App

    YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki promoted the company’s support of free speech in Russia — after the company removed a free speech app in Russia.

    Google and Apple found themselves in a firestorm of controversy after removing Putin opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s “Smart Voting” app. Privacy critics, free speech proponents and politicians condemned the companies’ actions.

    Wojcicki is hitting back, saying free speech in Russia is still part of the company’s core values.

    “But when we work with governments, there are many things that we have to take in consideration, whether it’s local laws or what’s happening on the ground,” Wojcicki told Bloomberg Television. “So there’s always going to be multiple considerations.”

    Interestingly, despite Google at one time being willing to pull out of China over censorship concerns, the company doesn’t see that happening in Russia — at least not now.

    “I think we really want to make sure that we’re working and serving audiences as much as we possibly can,” Wojcicki continued. “And if it comes to a point where there’s an issue with the government, we’ll do our best always to work that out.”

  • YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Passes 50 Million Subscribers

    YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Passes 50 Million Subscribers

    YouTube Premium and YouTube Music have crossed the 50 million subscriber market, just a few years after Google unveiled YouTube subscriptions.

    YouTube is the undisputed champion among video platforms, but much of the platform’s income is based on ads. The company does offer a subscription service, and it has crossed a major milestone, according to Head of Music Lyor Cohen.

    It’s been almost 6 years since we kicked off our subscription journey at YouTube and today we’re excited to share the news that we’ve crossed 50 million Music and Premium subscribers, including trialers. It’s an honor to build a membership that allows people to more deeply immerse themselves in music, learning, fashion, gaming, and more, all the while supporting the creators and artists that make it possible. Music and Premium subscriptions are key pillars of YouTube’s monetization, enabling unique content and communities to flourish.

  • YouTube Paid Creators $30 Billion Over the Last Three Years

    YouTube Paid Creators $30 Billion Over the Last Three Years

    YouTube has provided insight into the state of its content platform, including some impressive figures regarding its revenue and payouts to creators.

    YouTube is the undisputed king of video platforms. The company recently crossed the milestone of two million creators in its monetization program — the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) — and is revealing just how much it has paid those creators over the last three years.

    Creators who are part of YPP can make money and earn a living from their content on YouTube with ten different monetization features (and we keep adding more), from advertiser revenue to selling merchandise. Over the last three years, we’ve paid more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies. 

    With $7 billion in ad revenue in Q2 20201 alone, YouTube’s report is an impressive glimpse into just how important the platform is to Google’s overall business.

  • Google Makes Slew of Changes to Protect Minors

    Google Makes Slew of Changes to Protect Minors

    Google has announced a slew of changes to its platform in an effort to afford more protections to those under 18.

    Social media companies, and tech companies in general, have been under increased scrutiny and pressure over the negative impact social media and the internet can have on young people. Instagram recently announced it would set new accounts for those under 16 to private by default.

    Mindy Brooks, Product and UX Director, Kids and Families, outlined new features and changes Google is now rolling out, including setting YouTube uploads for teens, aged 13-17, to the most private option. The company will also prominently feature videos aimed at addressing digital wellbeing and commercial consent, concepts teens sometimes struggle with.

    Google also plans to expand its SafeSearch feature, which filters out explicit content, turning it on for the accounts of teens under 18, and making it the default mode for all new accounts created by teens. The company is making similar efforts to ensure mature content doesn’t surface when a child uses Google Assistant on a shared device.

    Location History will also receive some changes. As it stands now, the feature cannot be turned on for children with supervised accounts, but Google will expand that to all accounts for teens under 18 globally.

    Google’s new safety section in the Play Store will give parents more details regarding apps, letting them know which ones follow the company’s Families policies. Similarly, Google Workspace for Education will receive a number of changes to make it easier for administers to customize experiences for different age groups.

    Google will also add additional safeguards “to prevent age-sensitive ad categories from being shown to teens, and we will block ad targeting based on the age, gender, or interests of people under 18.”

    Google’s plans represent one of the most comprehensive efforts the company has made to protect teens under 18, and will hopefully be emulated by other companies.