Topic - YouTube Blog

Social media has dramatically changed the way we get to interact with our favorite musicians, actors, artists and athletes, so it makes sense that any awards ceremony celebrating social media also needs to flip the standard red carpet affair on its head. Tonight’s first-ever Social Star Awards in Singapore is attempting such a feat—running an awards program for a full 24 hours via social media. Forget a few dozen statues going out to some lucky winners. How about a whopping 288 awards, one aw...

When YouTube’s site first launched in May 2005, we never could have imagined the endless ways in which you would inspire, inform and entertain us every day. Today, more than 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. That’s more than four days of video uploaded each minute! Every month, more than 1 billion people come to YouTube to access news, answer questions and have a little fun. That’s almost one out of every two people on the Internet. Millions of partners are creating con...

Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Lonely Island guys, and a cat called Lil Bub all walk into a bar. Know what happens next? OK, neither do we. Luckily, we’ve enlisted more than 150 of the biggest names in comedy to join us for the first-ever YouTube Comedy Week. From May 19-25, YouTube will bring comedy creators and fans together for a series of live shows, new episodes from popular channels, curated lists from a range of stars and more. Some YouTubers collaborated on videos that give you a sneak pe...

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels drive significant YouTube watch time but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Thanks to your help, we’re sharing four partners who each drive a lot of watch time on YouTube but still have a ways to go before they hit that milestone. This May, our nominees have had their viewers glued to the screen with videos about paranormal activity, the balance of baking and exercise, reptile behavior, and all kinds of...

Congratulations to chef Manjula, our featured "On The Rise" partner this month. Her YouTube channel, ManjulasKitchen, is in the spotlight on the YouTube Spotlight channel today. Manjula has posted cooking videos on YouTube for more than six years, but her history with the kitchen dates back to her childhood in North India, where she assisted her mother with cooking for their family. From a young age, Manjula learned the importance of fresh ingredients and simple spices. She carried this knowl...

Video plays a powerful role in bringing us closer together, especially when it connects people in real time. By transcending borders, empowering citizens, and increasing transparency, it’s one of the many ways technology allows democracy to thrive. Starting this week, all members of the U.S. Congress will have the opportunity to access enhanced features on their YouTube channels, including the ability to live stream video. Live video is already allowing elected officials and their constituent...

If you’ve ever spent a Sunday night enjoying "Boardwalk Empire" or rocking out to (and properly using the) "Oxford Comma," you’re in for a treat this weekend. On Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, Vampire Weekend will perform a concert directed by none other than award-winning actor, director and producer Steve Buscemi to close out this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. And the best news of all is that you won’t need tickets to the Roseland Ballroom to take in the show. You can experience the entire event from...

Since its inception, organizations and individuals looking to change the world have used YouTube to rally an audience around a cause. Working at YouTube, we love seeing inspiring videos shared around the world everyday. “Good” videos have in turn inspired us to build tools to make it easier to run a campaign on YouTube and turn video views into action. We’ve made a 30-page “Playbook for Good” full of best practices to help you make the most inspiring and impactful cause videos possible and th...

After putting Seoul’s Gangnam district on the map and single-handedly reviving the powder blue tux, PSY’s got big plans this weekend and you’re invited to get involved. Less than four months after he shattered records by hitting the 1 billion mark, the artist who made K-Pop global is back to debut his second single, “Gentleman.” Where? On YouTube, of course. This Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Korean Standard Time (2:30 a.m. PST), PSY will kick off a live streamed performance from the Seoul World Cup ...

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Thanks to your help, we’re excited to share four partners who are just shy of that milestone this month. The nominees this April are each invested in a specific craft that helps them stand out on YouTube: friendship bracelets, guitars, skateboards, and cooking. Here’s where you come in--you actually have the chance to help push these p...

Every April, tens of thousands of the world’s most avid music fans flock to Southern California to kick off music festival season at Coachella. This year, you don’t even need a ticket to be a part of the show. For the third year in a row, you can catch the entire first weekend live from Indio on Coachella's official YouTube channel. Starting this Friday at 3:30 p.m. PT, YouTube's three-channel feed, which is presented by T-Mobile, will live stream performances from five stages (including, for...

To our incredible YouTube community, When we started out in 2005, we focused on rapidly increasing user engagement. We wanted an inventive way to draw people in and catalyze their creativity. The result? A contest for the best video on our site. Nearly eight years later, with 72 hours of video being uploaded every minute, we finally have enough content to close the competition. We’ve started the process to select a winner and as of tomorrow at midnight, we will be closing the site to submissi...

Congratulations to Colleen Ballinger of PsychoSoprano, our featured “On The Rise” partner this March. You can find her videos featured on our YouTube channel today, along with Google+, Facebook, and Twitter. Hailing from Southern California, Colleen has spent several years growing her YouTube audience and is a successful comedienne. She guarantees that you’ll enjoy a lot of laughs on PsychoSoprano, where she uploads vlogs, skits, character sketches, and “a lot of awkwardness” across two weekl...

Whether you prefer your humor extra dry or love watching the next big talents rise to stardom, two of the biggest names in entertainment are bringing their star power to YouTube. The You Generation Simon Cowell, the mastermind (and trademark take-no-prisoners judge) behind hit shows like “The X-Factor” and “American Idol,” is launching a global talent contest. Through 26 different talent competitions over the year, The You Generation will uncover YouTube’s rising stars, whatever their skills....

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Your suggestions helped us identify four dedicated partners who are well over halfway to that milestone, and you get the opportunity to help them grow even further. This March, our On The Rise nominees have established themselves and built loyal fan bases who support their music, video effects, comedy, vlogs, and group sketches. Here’s...

Occasionally, we invite special guests to share their thoughts on the YouTube Blog. Today, Sesame Street became the first nonprofit to reach 1 billion channel views on YouTube. In honor of that achievement, we bring you a guest post from the Count Von Count about the number zero. Greetings, it is I, the Count Von Count from Sesame Street. It is a pleasure to be blogging to you today because when I blog I get to count the words. That is 31, 31 wonderful words in my blog post, ah-ha-ha. Today I...

Awards season is upon us. And for the fourth year, YouTube is teaming up with See3 Communications to present the DoGooder Video Awards, a celebration of the best nonprofit videos of the year. If you’re a nonprofit who made a video in 2012, you’re eligible and encouraged to submit your video. But wait, there’s more! For the first time ever, we’re opening up the awards for submissions from individuals who are making videos to change their communities or the world. So if you’re a YouTube creator...

Congratulations to Devin and Erica, whose YouTube channel DevinandErica is our featured “On The Rise” partner this February. These loving parents have documented their family’s development, creativity and silliness on YouTube for more than three years, and today they’re featured on the YouTube Spotlight channel. This channel was born when Erica was pregnant with the couple’s eldest daughter, whom they affectionately refer to as "Baby Bug." Their "reality show" on YouTube has grown to include ...

Occasionally, we invite special guests to share their thoughts on the YouTube Blog. This guest post is from Autism Speaks about a documentary they are premiering on YouTube. The film was previously only available at small regional screenings and will now be available to viewers across the globe. Today we’re announcing the online premiere of "I Want to Say," a documentary short about technology and hope. It tells the story of how technology is making a difference in the lives of some people wh...

From artists to activists, teachers to students, kids to grandparents, YouTube is a place for people all over the globe to share their stories. YouTube’s Community Guidelines represent the rules of the road for all of them. They state that, in general, YouTube is not a place for shocking or violent content. When material of this nature is flagged by our community, our teams work around the clock to remove anything that breaks the rules. That said, YouTube is an important global platform for n...

Billboard and Nielsen have shaped the core measures of success for entertainers around the world. These institutions created the standard we all look to when assessing the popularity of an artist, an album or that song you just can’t stop playing. Each week, their rankings are eagerly awaited by budding musicians, bona fide rock stars and music executives alike. Of course, the music industry has changed dramatically in recent years. We’ve seen artists become stars through channels that simply...

Over the past seven years, YouTube has become a global stage where music lovers can follow their top bands and find new favorite artists. After all, it wasn't so long ago that K-Pop exploded with PSY's "Gangnam Style" becoming the first YouTube video to hit 1 billion views. Similar music movements have continued to cross borders with legendary Taiwanese rock band Mayday live streaming a concert from the YouTube headquarters and Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu starring in a new channel about...

This year’s game day was was full of action--both on and off the field. After Baltimore and San Francisco battled it out during the game, you went online to vote for your favorite game day commercial in our annual YouTube Ad Blitz contest. After a week of intense competition, we’ve tallied the final votes and you chose Ram Truck brand’s "Farmer" commercial as your favorite ad of the big game! Rounding out the top five commercials of the big game are spots from Budweiser, Samsung, Jeep and Hyu...

Every year on February 14, we see endless pairings of pink and red, while our reactions remain pretty black and white. This polarizing holiday tends to inspire only one of two passionate responses: Valentine’s Day stinks--or it rocks. Depending on whom you ask, it’s a special day to shower your loved one with sweet nothings and gifts galore, or a saccharine minefield of prix fixe menus and overpriced chocolates. Whether you’re toasting St. Valentine with champagne and long-stemmed roses, or f...

Today’s guest post is from Water.org about an exciting campaign they’re working on to raise awareness about the water crisis. For more information on the YouTube Nonprofit Program visit YouTube.com/nonprofits. While Water.org is known for our innovative approach to solving the world water crisis, we're less well known as YouTube stars. But every week we use YouTube to share the stories of the people we meet who don't have safe water to drink and to educate people about the water crisis. With ...

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. Thanks to your suggestions, this month we bring you four partners who are still relatively early on in the journey, but your support can help them make progress and build on their success. Our nominees for February use YouTube to share healthy recipes, demonstrate creative art projects, vlog about life in London, and share a family’s s...

Back in December last year, we announced our second YouTube NextUp program and called for your most creative ideas of how to collaborate with other talented creators. And you didn’t disappoint! We were overwhelmed with the imaginative and ambitious proposals and those selected represent a spectrum of determined creators who are all taking their channels to the next level. From comedic musicals and adventures of remote-controlled cars to special effects and holistic living, some great “collabs...

Safer Internet Day Tips From YouTube Community is important to us at YouTube. And we want to see the YouTube community continue to flourish. To ensure that everyone has a safe, positive experience on YouTube, we rely on each of you to act responsibly and to respect others on the site. In honor of Safer Internet Day, please take a moment to make yourself familiar with some of the resources and tools available on YouTube. The Safety Center features tips, tools and advice for users, parents and ...

Congratulations to Elise Strachan, the master chef for this month’s "On The Rise” featured partner channel, MyCupcakeAddiction. Not only is her channel the first featured in 2013, but it’s also the first Australian channel we’ve featured in the program, and Elise was recently appointed as one of the 15 Next How-To Gurus! MyCupcakeAddiction hosts tutorials on how to decorate and make cupcakes, cake pops and other sweet treats, and is in the spotlight on YouTube’s own channel today. Check it ou...

Around this time each year, the viewing public gears up for an epic competition of professional powerhouses operating at the top of their respective games. Legends are made, accolades given and dynasties rise and fall through the glory of one night. Oh, and there's a football game as well! We kid of course, but it's true that the big game has become as important to the world of advertising as it is to the world of sports. Fans huddle during commercial breaks, eager to see which spots will bec...

It’s that time of year, film buffs! The 2013 Sundance Film Festival kicks off this weekend, celebrating innovation in independent cinema and introducing creative talent to the world. Can’t make it to the festival? In The Screening Room, a YouTube channel curated by Sundance Institute and dedicated to showcasing ambitious and entertaining short films, you can watch 12 short films debuting at Sundance right now. These films were selected from the 64 shorts showing at the festival, out of more t...

You don’t have to be an American football fan to know that the Big Game is almost here. It’s one of the biggest sports moments of the year, and we’re doing our bit to share the authentic Big Game experience, with the Ad Blitz Pre-Game program. All those recipes for hot wings, multi-layer dips and things-wrapped-in-bacon that you’ve been searching for? The Ad Blitz Pre-Game channel has them all in one place with videos on party recipes and ideas. We’ve also curated playoff coverage and predict...

In our monthly On The Rise program, we identify four partners whose channels are seeing significant growth but haven’t yet reached the 100,000 subscriber mark. This month, with your help, we’re excited to introduce you to four popular and promising partners so you can help them grow their audience and channels. Our January nominees include a filmmaker, a cupcake artist, a vlogger, and a singer-songwriter, and you can help jumpstart their YouTube careers. Review their videos below, vote for yo...

We bet you a billion views you can find your way around YouTube faster on your mobile device than on your TV. That’s why we launched a feature making it easy to send videos from your mobile to your TV with just one button. This year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), we’re bringing that mobile/TV pairing feature to devices from our friends including Bang & Olufsen, LG, Panasonic and Sony. In 2013, you’ll see this feature come to even more devices like those from Philips, Samsung, Sharp, ...

A million views? You know what's cool? A billion views. Today, a 34-year-old K-Pop artist made online video history when his viral video, Gangnam Style, smashed our records and became the first video ever to reach one billion views. Yup, that’s right one BILLION views! PSY's success is a great testament to the universal appeal of catchy music-- and er, great equine dance moves. In the past, music distribution was mostly regional. It was more difficult to learn about great artists from around ...

When something big happens in the world, the YouTube community responds. Our news partners race to get footage live on the site. On-the-spot reporters upload video directly from their smartphones to let us all know what it’s like to be there. Leaders express their outrage, and their sorrow. And our 800 million users around the world head to YouTube to better understand what just happened, from multiple perspectives. For years, YouTube has been the global living room - today’s it’s becoming a ...

Life moves fast. To speed up recording, enhancing and sharing videos with your friends or the whole world, you can now use the YouTube Capture app on your iPhone or iPod touch. Making sharing fast and easy YouTube Capture is ready to record as soon as you open it. When you’re done filming, write a caption, select which networks you want to share to, and hit Share. Even if you minimize the app, the video will keep uploading in the background. You can control who sees your video by setting it t...

When Taylor Swift unveiled her first single on YouTube back in August, you went a little crazy for it -- along with the rest of the country. During that same session, Ms. Swift secretly recorded an acoustic version of “We Will Never Ever Get Back Together” as well as never-before-heard acoustic versions of two other tracks off the new album: “Treacherous” and “Forever.” Today, she shares that session exclusively on YouTube, as a special holiday treat for her fans. Sarah Bardeen, music communi...

It’s that time of year again to pause, rewind and remember the videos, the entertainers, and the moments that captivated you in 2012. This year, Korean Pop music transcended boundaries and took the world by storm. Cover songs, parodies, and "do-it-yourself" music videos from all genres entertained us in countries near and far. And you participated in conversations at a global scale, uploading videos to share ideas on everything from nonprofit campaigns, to political satire, to new and surpris...

Each year here at YouTube, we take a look back at the videos that captured our attention and our imagination during the year. We’ll be releasing the top trending videos of 2012 next week, but today our friends over at Google are taking a look at the year through the eyes of search. Google’s 12th annual Zeitgeist Year-In-Review, a.k.a. a “spirit of the times,” reviews the people, places, and topics that captured the world’s attention this year. YouTube favorite “Gangnam Style” came in as the #...

By now, many of you may be familiar with the monthly On The Rise program, where we identify four YouTube partners whose subscriber numbers are growing but haven’t yet reached 100,000. You get the opportunity to vote for your favorite, each channel is evaluated on criteria such as viewer engagement and channel optimization techniques, and one of the four channels is featured on the YouTube homepage and across our social networks. In past months, featured partners like JoshSundquist, CuteGirlsH...

We’re teaming up with Virgin America to bring you great shows from five YouTube partners right on your personal seatback screen. By mid-December, Warner Brothers’ H+ The Digital Series, WIGS’ Blue, Geek & Sundry’s Written By a Kid, Crash Course and Barely Political’s The Key of Awesome will be available for free on all Virgin America planes in the US and Mexico. Venture into an apocalyptic future where the human race is hardwired to the Internet and a virus has entered the system with H+ The ...

Alright stop, collaborate and listen.YouTube has seen some pretty amazing collabs in its time. From exploring the possibility of a hollow earth to raging office warfare, you guys love to partner up and get creative. Collaboration, along with developing your audience and learning production best practices, has helped previous YouTube NextUp program alumni such as FinalCutKing, chescaleigh, TheCraftyGemini, and RatedRR take their channels to the next level. Since the launch of the first YouTube...

Those of you who use YouTube most have learned the secret to making it even better—find the channels you love and subscribe, subscribe, subscribe. Last year we began to make it easier to subscribe to the channels you care about by introducing a Guide on the home page. When you add subscriptions to your Guide, you organize YouTube around what you like, available whenever you watch YouTube. Today, we’re taking the next step by bringing your subscription-filled Guide with you across both the sit...

You love watching YouTube on the go—in fact—more than 25 percent of all YouTube watching happens on mobile. This past September you got the YouTube app for iPhone and iPod touch to make it easier to find and share the videos and channels you love on YouTube, and you made us the #1 free app in the App Store for two months. Since then, we’ve been hard at work to improve the app based on your feedback. Just in time for the holidays, now you can download or update the YouTube app with a look desi...

Take eight steps back, Psy and Biebs. Another YouTube star is born today as Nefertiti, the first-ever “spidernaut” who was the key element to the winning YouTube Space Lab experiment has made it home safely and will live out the rest of her life at the Smithsonian Museum. Nefertiti is the first jumping spider to successfully return from space and adjust to life on Earth after a 100-day stay aboard the International Space Station. “Neffi,” as she’s called by friends, will take up residence sta...

Congratulations to Tom Antos of polcan99, our featured “On The Rise” partner for this month. His channel is featured on the “Spotlight” section of the YouTube homepage today. Tom has been a YouTube partner for three years, but has dedicated his entire career to film direction, cinematography, and VFX. His expertise has earned Tom an array of awards as he’s worked on both large productions and small-budget projects including Hollywood features, short films, and music videos. On YouTube, Tom go...