Posts Tagged: YouTube
Safer Internet Day: 5 ways we’re building a safer YouTube
Keeping you and your family safe online is a top priority at YouTube. Today on Safer Internet Day, we’re sharing some of the ways we work to keep YouTube safe, and how you can be more in control of your YouTube experience. From built-in protections to easy-to-use tools, we hope you’ll take advantage of these tips:
1. Learn more about the content available on YouTube
We work hard to maintain a safe community and have guidelines that explain what we allow and don’t allow on YouTube. Most of what we remove is first-detected by machines, which means we actually review and remove prohibited content before you ever see it. But no system is perfect, so we make sure if you see something that doesn’t belong on YouTube, you can flag it for us and we’ll quickly review it. If you want to know what happened to a video you flagged, just visit your reporting history to find out.
2. Learn more about what data we collect and how to update your privacy settings
Check out Your Data in YouTube to browse or delete your YouTube activity and learn more about how we use data. Your YouTube privacy settings include managing your search and watch history. If you prefer more private viewing, you can use Incognito mode on the YouTube mobile app or Chrome browser on your computer. Learn more.
You can also take the Privacy Checkup and we’ll walk you through key privacy settings step-by-step. For YouTube, you’ll be able to do things like easily pause your YouTube History, or automatically delete data that may be used for your recommendations.
3. Check in on your security settings and keep your passwords safe
Head over to Security Checkup for personalized recommendations to help protect your data and devices across Google, including YouTube. Here, you can manage which third-party apps have access to your account data and also take the Password Checkup, which tells you if any of your passwords are weak and how to change them. In addition, you can access Password Manager in your Google Account to help you remember and securely store strong passwords for all your online accounts.
4. Learn more about how ads work and control what ads you see on YouTube
We do not sell your personal information to anyone, and give you transparency, choice and control over how your information is used as a part of Google. If you’re curious about why you’re seeing an ad, you can click on Why this ad for more information. If you no longer find a specific ad relevant, you can choose to block that ad by using the Mute this ad control. And you can always control the kinds of ads you see, or turn off ads personalization any time in your Ad Settings.
5. Try the YouTube Kids app, built with parental controls
We recommend parents use YouTube Kids if they plan to allow kids under 13 to watch independently. YouTube Kids is a separate app with family-friendly videos and parental controls. We work hard to keep the videos on YouTube Kids suitable for kids and have recently reduced the number of channels on the app. The app also empowers parents to choose what’s the right experience for their kids and family, such as which content is available for their kids, how long they can use the app for and much more.
In addition to YouTube Kids, we also recently made changes to Made for Kids content on YouTube to better protect children’s privacy.
Finally if you have any questions or feedback, let us know! We are available 24/7 on @TeamYouTube, or you can always check out our YouTube Help Community to learn about the latest announcements. Responsibility is our number one priority, and together with you, we will continue our ongoing efforts to build a safer YouTube.
— The YouTube Team
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The YouTube AdBlitz Champion of 2020 is…
The confetti may have hit the field for the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Big Game isn’t over for the ads. Fans have been watching and re-watching their favorites from in-and-out of the game on YouTube AdBlitz, and it’s finally time to reveal our top five overall and most-viewed by content category.
Congratulations to Amazon! As the only brand to cross 60 million views, Amazon’s #BeforeAlexa Super Bowl spot, starring Ellen DeGeneres, charmed the pants off of football fans this year to be the top-viewed ad on AdBlitz 2020!
Here are the top five most-viewed Big Game ads on YouTube AdBlitz as of Wednesday, February 5, at 11:59 p.m. EST:
1. Amazon
Amazon gives us a blast-from-the-past by answering the question, “What did we do before Alexa?” With a medieval theme, people cover everything, from the temperature to news to jokes, all features on Alexa. (Features Ellen Degeneres and Portia)
2. Jeep
In celebration of Groundhog Day and playing on the movie featuring Bill Murray, Murray takes a groundhog and escapes in an orange Jeep for endless adventures.
3. HyundaiUSA
Hyundai pays homage to Boston by featuring Chris Evans, John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch, and David “Big Papi” Ortiz, who react to one of the Sonata’s newest and smartest features: Remote Smart Parking Assist.
4. GenesisUSA
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend host a party calling out and saying farewell to old luxuries, such as lying about plastic surgery, and saying hello to new luxuries like the Genesis GV80.
5. T-Mobile
Anthony Anderson’s mama tests T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network by video calling him at the park, in the kitchen and even at the club, showing that it works nearly everywhere.
Top-viewed ads on YouTube AdBlitz as of Wednesday, February 5, at 11:59 p.m. EST by content category:
- Sentimental: [ yellow tail ] Tastes Like Happy “Happy Hour” :15
- Comedy: Amazon Super Bowl Commercial 2020 – #BeforeAlexa
- Inspirational: The Secret Kicker | Super Bowl Ad #KickInequality
- Dramatic: Heinz – Find The Goodness – Four at Once
- Action-packed: Facebook Groups: Ready to Rock? | Super Bowl 2020
- Informative: #PassTheProtection
Be sure to visit YouTube AdBlitz to watch all of this year’s Big Game ads.
Gina Shalavi, Cultural Moments and Trends Lead, YouTube Ads Marketing
State of the Union 2020: Live on YouTube
From breaking news to key moments, people around the world have been able to access important content and news through YouTube. As President Trump begins his fourth year in office, YouTube continues this tradition.
Like we have in the past, YouTube will live stream the President’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 4 at 9 p.m. ET, as well as the response from the Democratic Party. You can tune in to live streams in both English and Spanish. Here are the channels where you can follow the coverage:
- White House
- ABC News
- C-SPAN
- CBS News
- Fox News
- NBC News
- PBS NewsHour
- Telemundo
- Univision
- USA Today
- Wall Street Journal
- Washington Post
YouTube will retire its classic web interface in March
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How YouTube supports elections
As the 2020 election season kicks into high gear in the United States, people will visit YouTube to learn about the candidates and watch the election season unfold. Over the last few years, we’ve increased our efforts to make YouTube a more reliable source for news and information, as well as an open platform for healthy political discourse. Here is an overview of how this work helps us to better support elections.
Remove election-related content that violates our policies
Our Community Guidelines provide clear guidance on content that is not allowed on YouTube. One common question we get is how these policies apply to election-related content. Here are some examples of where our established deceptive practices policies apply:
- Content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users (beyond clips taken out of context) and may pose a serious risk of egregious harm; for example, a video that has been technically manipulated to make it appear that a government official is dead.
- Content that aims to mislead people about voting or the census processes, like telling viewers an incorrect voting date.
- Content that advances false claims related to the technical eligibility requirements for current political candidates and sitting elected government officials to serve in office, such as claims that a candidate is not eligible to hold office based on false information about citizenship status requirements to hold office in that country.
Additionally, we terminate channels that:
- Attempt to impersonate another person or channel, misrepresent their country of origin, or conceal their association with a government actor.
- Artificially increase the number of views, likes, comments, or other metric either through the use of automatic systems or by serving up videos to unsuspecting viewers.
As always, we enforce our policies consistently, without regard to a video’s political viewpoint.
The best way to quickly remove content is to stay ahead of new technologies and tactics that could be used by malicious actors, including technically-manipulated content. We also heavily invest in research and development. In 2018, we formed an Intelligence Desk to detect new trends surrounding inappropriate content and problematic behaviors, and to make sure our teams are prepared to address them before they become a larger issue. For example, in 2018, as a result of the Intelligence Desk’s work to detect the evolving online tactics and impending statements of terrorist organizations, we shared 100,000 digital fingerprints (also known as hashes) of terror content to the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism’s hash-sharing database.
To combat foreign and domestic coordinated influence operations looking to interfere in electoral processes, we coordinate closely with Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) to identify bad actors and terminate their channels and accounts. Through TAG, we work with other technology companies to share intelligence and best practices, and share threat information with law enforcement.
Raise up authoritative election news
Political news and events can be subject to misinformation, so the availability of quality information sources is crucial. That’s why we raise up authoritative voices, including news sources, for news and information in search results and “watch next” panels. Millions of search queries and recommendations are getting this authoritative ranking treatment today, and we’re continuing to improve and expand our systems.
Additionally, we introduced Top News and Breaking News shelves to highlight quality journalism, as well as information panels that indicate funding sources below videos from publishers that receive public or government funding. During breaking news events, we provide short previews of text-based news articles in search results, along with a reminder that developing news can rapidly change. Because of all these efforts, last year we saw consumption of content from authoritative news partners’ channels grow by 60%.
For the 2018 U.S. midterm and the 2019 EU Parliamentary elections, when users searched for a candidate on YouTube, we surfaced an information panel with additional information about that candidate—for example, party affiliation and district—above search results. We also highlighted the official YouTube channels of candidates when available. We will have a similar feature for candidates in the 2020 U.S. elections in the coming months.
Reduce the spread of election misinformation
Content that comes close to violating our Community Guidelines is a fraction of 1% of what’s watched on YouTube in the U.S. To reduce this even further, in January 2019, we launched changes to our recommendations systems to limit the spread of harmful misinformation and borderline content. The result is a 70% average drop in watch time of this content coming from non-subscribed recommendations in the U.S. These changes are now implemented in the U.S. and other English-language markets, and we’ve begun expanding this effort to non-English-language markets, helping us reduce recommendations of borderline content, including election-related misinformation, around the world.
Recognize and reward campaigns, candidates, and political creators
Politicians, commentators and news publishers can access a suite of YouTube features and resources, including support from our partnerships team. These specialists work with news organizations, political creators and candidates on both sides of the aisle to optimize their presence on YouTube, helping them more effectively reach viewers, engage their community and keep their accounts secure.
In addition to our work at YouTube to support elections, other teams at Google are also working hard ahead of Election Day—including by expanding our political advertising policies to provide users with even more visibility into who is buying election ads on YouTube, Google, and partner properties. YouTube remains committed to maintaining the balance of openness and responsibility, before, during and after the 2020 U.S. election. We’ll have even more to share on this work in the coming months.
Leslie Miller, VP of Government Affairs & Public Policy, YouTube
Better protecting kids’ privacy on YouTube
Last September, we announced a series of changes to better protect kids and their privacy on YouTube and to address concerns raised by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Specifically, that all creators will be required to designate their content as made for kids or not made for kids in YouTube Studio, and data from anyone watching a video designated as made for kids will be treated as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user.
In November, we released a setting in Studio to make it easier for creators to designate their content. And today, we will begin to roll out these changes globally. We wanted to outline what you will start to see in the coming days.
What is made for kids content?
According to the FTC, a video is made for kids if it is intended for kids, taking into consideration a variety of factors. These factors include the subject matter of the video, whether the video has an emphasis on kids characters, themes, toys or games, and more.
To help us identify made for kids content, in November we introduced a new audience setting in YouTube Studio to help creators indicate whether or not their content is made for kids. Creators know their content best, and should set the designation themselves. We also use machine learning to help us identify this content, and creators can update a designation made by our systems if they believe it is incorrect. We will only override a creator designation if abuse or error is detected.
An updated experience for made for kids content
YouTube now treats personal information from anyone watching children’s content on the platform as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user. This means that on videos made for kids, we limit data collection and use, and as a result, we need to restrict or disable some product features. For example, we no longer serve personalized ads on this content or support features such as comments, live chat, notification bell, stories, save to playlist, and others.
Many creators around the world have created quality kids content for their audiences, and these changes will have significant impact. We’re committed to helping creators navigate this new landscape and to supporting our ecosystem of family content. We’ll share more in the coming months. In the meantime, we continue to engage on this issue. For example, we participated in the FTC’s public workshop and submitted our comment on COPPA, where we discussed the importance of clear guidelines that help creators live up to their legal obligations and support access to quality kids content.
Continued investment in YouTube Kids
We still recommend parents use YouTube Kids if they plan to allow kids under 13 to watch independently. In fact, tens of millions of people use YouTube Kids every week, and recently we saw an all-time high of weekly viewers since the app’s launch. Starting today, you will see a YouTube Kids promotion across all made for kids content. We also continue to improve the product. For example, we recently launched signed-in support for YouTube Kids on the web and connected devices — such as smart TVs — so parents can now access and control their child’s YouTube Kids experience across even more surfaces.
Responsibility is our number one priority at YouTube, and this includes protecting kids and their privacy. We’ve been significantly investing in the policies, products and practices to help us do this. Today’s changes allow us to do this even better and we’ll continue working to provide children, families and family creators the best experience possible on YouTube.
— The YouTube Team
YouTube Originals announces new documentary, “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert.” Premieres March 31.
In celebration of Coachella’s 20th anniversary, YouTube Originals is partnering with Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for a feature-length documentary, “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert.” It is set to premiere March 31. The announcement comes on the heels of Coachella’s official 2020 lineup, and for the tenth year in a row, YouTube is back as the exclusive live stream partner for both weekends of the iconic music festival. Watch the first teaser of “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert” here.
A documentary feature two decades in the making, “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert” opens up the vault for the very first time to present the performances and behind-the-scenes stories that shaped the music festival. The film gives a rare look at Coachella’s colorful beginning, presents exclusive, never-before-seen footage and interviews, and features key performances from some of the biggest names in music, including Billie Eilish, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Travis Scott, BLACKPINK, LCD Soundsystem, Rage Against The Machine, Pixies, Swedish House Mafia, Jane’s Addiction, Björk, The White Stripes, Madonna, Moby, Beck, Radiohead and more.
YouTube also announced today that it will return for the tenth year in a row as the official playlist and live stream partner for both weekends of Coachella. This year, YouTube Premium members will receive exclusive Coachella perks, including access to a members-only allocation of passes for purchase. As general on-sale Weekend 1 passes are sold out, YouTube Premium members are one of the only groups with access to this limited supply. YouTube continues to take the magic of Coachella beyond the Indio desert and into the homes and phones of millions of people around the world, providing a global stage for artists and fans to connect with live stream performances from headliners to some of the biggest artists on the rise.
YouTube Music makes discovery more personal with playlists mixed for you
YouTube Music is a dedicated music streaming service that guides you through the world of music. With official songs and albums as well as deep cuts, live performances, and remixes, you can listen to exactly what you want, when you want to. Or you can sit back and let us recommend music for you right on your home screen.
Rolling out today, we’re introducing a shelf of three personalized mixes – the new Discover Mix, New Release Mix, and Your Mix – to keep you up to date on what’s just been released and introduce you to a wider range of artists and sounds based on your personal taste. Updated regularly, these mixes will use your listening history to create a unique experience and guide your music exploration to exciting and fresh destinations week after week.
Check out what each of these new mixes is bringing to you:
Discover Mix: Whether introducing you to an entirely new artist you’ve never heard before, or unearthing hidden, lesser-known gems from artists you’re already familiar with, Discover Mix will give you 50 tracks every week that help you expand your musical horizons. With new updates every Wednesday, it’s your go-to playlist to discover music.
New Release Mix: This mix is your one-stop shop for a playlist of all the most recent releases by your favorite artists (and others we think you’ll like). Expect a big update every Friday (when most new releases drop) along with mid-week releases sprinkled in throughout the week to ensure you are always up-to-date on the latest releases.
Your Mix: Your Mix is the perfect playlist for those times when you don’t want to think and just want to play something you know you’ll like. It’s full of songs by artists you know and love, and also mixes in some songs and artists you’ve never heard before, but that we think you’ll love. Small updates are made regularly, so the music never gets stale and there’s always something new in rotation.
The more you listen to and like songs, the better your mixes will be. New to YouTube Music? Don’t worry, we can start delivering a personalized experience after you’ve selected a couple of artists you like during setup, or even after listening to just a few songs!
Discover Mix, New Release Mix, and Your Mix are now available globally for all YouTube Music listeners. To check out your personalized mixes, download the YouTube Music app for iOS or Android or visit the webplayer to dive in.
These new mixes are just the beginning of an even more personalized YouTube Music, so stay tuned for more music mixed just for you!
Nathan Lasche, Product Manager – YouTube Music, recently listened to “Dance Monkey by Tones and I“
The Morning After: PewDiePie is taking a break from YouTube in 2020
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PewDiePie is ‘taking a break’ from YouTube in 2020
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YouTube gift codes are now available on Amazon
Give the gift of endless entertainment to your friends and family this holiday season with YouTube gift codes, now available for purchase on Amazon in the U.S. Whether it’s for a friend miles away, a loved one at home, or a last minute gift, we’ve made it easy to treat someone to their favorite YouTube products.
Something for everyone
YouTube gift codes can be used to enjoy YouTube subscriptions, to buy or rent movies and shows, or to become a channel member on YouTube. Recipients can use their gift code towards a YouTube Premium subscription to watch uninterrupted — with ad-free, offline, and background — play. They can also enjoy these same benefits with YouTube Music Premium, a dedicated music streaming service that’s their guide to the entire world of music. For sports and entertainment fans alike, a YouTube TV subscription offers cable-free live and on-demand TV with 70+ channels and free unlimited cloud DVR storage space. Movie buffs can redeem their gift code to watch the latest and greatest movies and shows available on YouTube. And fitting with the giving spirit, recipients can use their gift code to support their favorite YouTube creators with a Channel Membership, which unlocks badges, emojis and creator perks.
Easy to buy and redeem
To purchase a gift code, simply:
- Click here to get to the purchase page.
- Choose a design and your desired amount.
- Enter the recipient’s email address and a message.
- Pick your delivery date and select purchase.
On the delivery date, the recipient will get a YouTube gift code delivered via email with instructions for redeeming on youtube.com/redeem. When redeemed, the gift code value will be added to the recipient’s Google Play balance, which can be used to make purchases on YouTube or Google Play.
Give a YouTube gift code today!
— The YouTube team
Queen and YouTube Present Three New Fan Music Videos for ‘You Are the Champions’ Campaign
More Than 10,000 Fans From Over 120 Countries Helped Create New Fan Music Videos for Queen’s Iconic Songs: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “A Kind Of Magic”
In celebration of “Bohemian Rhapsody” becoming the the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on YouTube, Queen and YouTube Music worked together with Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records to enlist the band’s loyal fans from around the world to help create brand-new, user generated fan music videos for three of the band’s most recognizable tracks: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and “A Kind Of Magic” as part of the You Are The Champions initiative.
More than 10,000 fans from over 120 countries around the world answered the call, submitting unique content via the YouAreTheChampions.com microsite, with each video focusing on one of three submission categories. The result is one of the world’s biggest musical collaborations: including a musician/singer performance-based video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” an entire dance-based video for “Don’t Stop Me Now,” and a montage of bespoke work from visual artists for “A Kind of Magic.”
A true celebration of the band’s unique connection with their fans around the world, the videos show the band represented by multiple generations from every continent. To celebrate the launch of the videos, Queen’s Roger Taylor said, “Glad you could all join us. Welcome.”
Brian May said, “It’s one of the most rewarding things that can happen to an artist of any kind—to see that our work has inspired folk all around the world to create their own performances and visual art is a thrill. And the diversity of their vision is astonishing. Big thanks to everyone who participated.”
More below about the new fan-created music videos!
“Don’t Stop Me Now”: Polly Bennett, the choreographer who worked with Rami Malek for the film Bohemian Rhapsody, created a unique dance for fans to learn and film for this classic Queen song. More than 1,800 videos were submitted from individuals, groups, ballerinas, ice skaters and a few Freddie Mercury impersonators as well. The final video resulted in a choreographed performance with fans from all over the world dancing together as one.
“Bohemian Rhapsody”: Musicians and singers from around the globe were asked to submit footage of themselves performing the song and more than 5,400 from 110 countries answered the call, including harpists, classical musicians, a bassoonist and even a group of xylophonists! The result is a layering of performances from fans all over the world, playing and singing in unison to recreate the iconic track.
“A Kind Of Magic”: Visual artists submitted individual artwork in the medium of their choosing to depict the lyrics and melody of this iconic song. 2,773 artists from 92 countries submitted for the video, and the end result is a visual symphony of fan art that pays homage to the song’s lyrics and diverse representations of the band’s members dreamed in paint, animation, graphic designs, sand, flowers, and more. Check out the final videos, along with Queen’s catalog of classics on Queen’s official YouTube channel.
YouTube Announces First-Ever ‘Cash Fest’ Event in Nashville on November 10 Celebrating Release of YouTube Originals Documentary ‘The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash’
‘Cash Fest’ to Celebrate the Music of the Legendary Johnny Cash with Charity Concert Featuring Performances from Little Big Town, Perry & Etty Farrell, Matt Shultz Of Cage The Elephant, Elle King, Midland, Judah & The Lion, Cam, Grace Potter and More. Tickets on Sale Today!
In celebration of the November 11 premiere of the YouTube Originals documentary, “The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash,” The Johnny Cash Trust and The Best Fest, in partnership with YouTube, are bringing fans the first-ever Cash Fest, an unprecedented charity concert in Nashville honoring the music of the legendary Johnny Cash. The revue-style show, taking place November 10 at the War Memorial Auditorium, will feature an all-star lineup performing their favorite Johnny Cash songs—including Drew & Ellie Holcomb, Devin Dawson, John Oates, Lucie Silvas, Wilder Woods, and more. Tickets for the event are available now: http://bit.ly/cashfest. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit MusiCares®, helping musicians with critical assistance in times of need.
In addition to the stellar Cash Fest lineup of all-stars, the event will also feature an incredible house band of seasoned musicians that have shared the stage with some of music’s most celebrated artists. Johnny Cash fans in the audience will also get a sneak peek of the documentary, with clips playing throughout the evening ahead of its YouTube debut.
The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash (TRAILER), created with the full cooperation of the Cash estate and rich in recently discovered archival materials, brings Cash the man out from behind the legend. Taking the remarkable Folsom Prison recording as a central motif and featuring interviews with family and celebrated collaborators, the 90-minute documentary from Emmy Award-winning director Thom Zimny (Elvis Presley: The Searcher, Springsteen on Broadway) explores the artistic victories, the personal tragedies, the struggles with addiction, and the spiritual pursuits that colored Johnny Cash’s life. The documentary will be available for free on YouTube Originals on November 11.
“The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash” is directed by Thom Zimny and produced by Thom Zimny, Glen Zipper, Sean Stuart and Jillian Apfelbaum. Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern, Jeff Pollack, John Carter Cash, Josh Matas, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Ryan Friedkin and Jasmine Daghighian serve as executive producers. The documentary is an Imperative Entertainment and Kennedy/Marshall production in association with Sutter Road Picture Company and The John R Cash Trust. The original composition for this project was composed and performed by Mike McCready. The documentary originally made its debut in March at the SXSW Film Festival and also screened recently at the 50th Annual Nashville Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival as part of the event’s Backlot Series. “The Gift: The Journey Of Johnny Cash: Original Score Music From A Film By Thom Zimny,” will be released in November by Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
To purchase tickets to Cash Fest, please visit http://bit.ly/cashfest. All ticket net proceeds will benefit MusiCares. For event details, please visit https://www.wmarocks.com/event/cash-fest/. Follow @youtubemusic on social for additional behind-the-scenes event captures.
Can anyone match Freddie Mercury’s legendary voice? Queen and YouTube Music are challenging fans to find out!
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time, so it’s no wonder the music video recently hit 1 billion views on YouTube. For decades, fans have belted out the song’s iconic lyrics alongside Freddie Mercury’s one-of-a-kind vocals, but how many can really sing it just like Freddie? YouTube, Google Creative Lab, and Google Research — working in partnership with Queen, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records — have built a new AI experiment called FreddieMeter to find out!
Released in support of Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity founded by Brian May, Roger Taylor and Jim Beach to raise awareness and funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS, and in honor of the 44th anniversary of the band’s first-ever live performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” at the Empire Theater, Liverpool, U.K in November 1975; FreddieMeter was created to let fans around the world determine how closely their singing matches the voice of Queen’s legendary frontman, Freddie Mercury.
FreddieMeter shows users how closely their voice matches Freddie Mercury’s legendary range by analyzing the singer’s pitch, timbre, and melody to assign them a score of 0 to 100. Queen fans, killer impressionists, and anyone who enjoys a little karaoke and are ready to step up to the challenge can get started by doing the following:
- SING: Pick one of four QUEEN songs on the microsite (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Somebody to Love” or “We Are the Champions”) and sing your heart out!
- SHARE: Get your score and share! Download the custom scorecard asset directly to your device, then share it on YouTube Stories, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- CHALLENGE: Using the hashtag #FreddieChallenge on social channels, challenge three friends to see how they measure up.
- DONATE: Encourage a charitable donation to Mercury Phoenix Trust in your post → http://www.mercuryphoenixtrust.com/donate
Google Creative Lab and Google Research created FreddieMeter using new on-device machine learning models, and it’s been trained on Freddie’s isolated vocals, as well as samples of people trying to sing like Freddie. FreddieMeter is trained on and optimized for individual singers and works on desktop, Android and iPhone devices, and the audio doesn’t get uploaded to any servers to be analyzed, so all vocals stay totally private unless shared by the user.
FreddieMeter continues YouTube’s celebration of Queen’s music and “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” 1 billion views milestone, which coincided with the release of a newly remastered HD version of the video. The achievement made history with the anthem being the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on the platform.
In partnership with Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records, YouTube also recently launched ‘You Are The Champions,’ a unique campaign that gave fans an exclusive chance to become a part of Queen history with a starring role in brand-new, user-generated videos for three of the band’s most celebrated tracks: “A Kind of Magic,” “Don’t Stop Me Now” and the iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The results were pulled from more than 10,000 submissions from more than 120 countries around the world, showing the depth and love for Queen and Freddie amongst their loyal global fanbase.
To take on the #FreddieChallenge now or find out more about FreddieMeter, visit freddiemeter.withyoutube.com.
Introducing a fresh new look for YouTube on desktop and tablets
More easily find the next great video to watch
This new look includes longer video titles and larger, richer thumbnails to give you clearer information about the video at a glance, plus higher resolution video previews. As part of this cleaner design, you’ll notice we’ve also removed some content shelves. You can still find rows of videos for breaking news, music mixes, and more.
When browsing on Home, you’ll also see channel icons below each video making it easier to recognize your favorite creators and content you love.
Customize what to watch next with your queue
You’ve told us you want a better way to queue up the next video to watch, so we’re introducing the option to add to queue on desktop. You can select a handful of videos to watch next without interrupting the video you’re currently watching. Videos in your queue won’t save after you’ve closed your browser, but you can always save videos to your permanent “Watch Later” playlist, too.
Remove suggestions from channels you don’t want to watch
We launched a feature on mobile earlier this year to make it even simpler for you to tell us to stop suggesting videos from a particular channel, and today we’re bringing this to desktop. Just select the three-dot menu next to a video on the homepage, then select “Don’t recommend channel.” After that, you should no longer see videos from that channel suggested to you on the YouTube homepage. You may still be able to find these videos if you search for them, or visit the channel page or Trending tab.
Coming soon: select topics to refine your Homepage and Up Next videos
Earlier this year, we added a new feature to the YouTube Android app that lets you select your favorite topics and customize your Home feed with related videos. We’ll be releasing it on desktop and tablets soon!
We’ve been experimenting with this updated design for a few months and — based on your input — have made dozens of improvements to the layout, most notably adjusting the thumbnail sizes and showing more videos on larger screens. We’re excited to roll this out to everyone, and we hope you’ll find the updated design and new features helpful as you navigate the incredible breadth of content available on YouTube.
Posted by Essam El-Dardiry, Senior Product Manager
You might score a free Google Home Mini if you’re using Assistant or YouTube Premium
Google has produced quite a lot of Home Minis since its 2017 debut, resulting in semi-frequent discounts and giveaways. We’re fast approaching the date of a new model (Nest Mini) and there’s likely ample stock that still needs to move. If you’re a YouTube Premium or Assistant user, you just might snag one for free. […]
Come comment on this article: You might score a free Google Home Mini if you’re using Assistant or YouTube Premium
YouTube Music replaces Google Play Music on Android 10
We know Google is ready to push YouTube Music as their primary music streaming service, much to the chagrin of everyone still using Google Play Music, myself included. That’s going to get a little bit tougher going forward, as YouTube Music is now the default music player on Android 10. You can still grab Google […]
Come comment on this article: YouTube Music replaces Google Play Music on Android 10
YouTube Music App now preinstalled on Android 10 devices
YouTube Music is your personal guide through the complete world of music—whether it’s a hot new song, hard to find gem, or an unmissable music video. Music fans on Android phones can now easily unlock the magic of YouTube Music, which will come installed on all new devices launching with Android 10 (and Android 9), including the Pixel series.
Music listeners on Android devices are now just a few taps away from streaming their go-to tracks and discovering new music. From the gym, to the car, to work—it’s all here, right in your back pocket. Discover official songs, albums and playlists, music videos, remixes, live performances, hard-to-find music, and more. Whatever your mood, we’ve got you covered.
Once you’ve started your new device, just look for the YouTube Music icon and start listening! And if you don’t have Android 10 yet, don’t stress—simply visit the Play Store to get the app.
In addition to YouTube Music, Android 10 brings new features like suggested actions in Smart Reply, improved Digital Wellbeing tools, Dark theme, and much more. Google Play Music listeners with new Android 10 devices can continue to enjoy Google Play Music by downloading it from the Play Store and logging in to their accounts.
Brandon Bilinski, Product Manager – YouTube Music
Brandon recently listened to The Man Who Married a Robot / Love Theme by The 1975.
Maintaining credibility and consistency on YouTube: Revisions to YouTube Music Charts and 24-hour record debut policy
Today, we’re sharing some important changes made to YouTube Music Charts, the go-to destination to see what’s popular, what’s rising and trending both locally and globally on YouTube, and updates to how we determine videos that are eligible for 24-hour record debuts on YouTube.
YouTube Music Charts have become an indispensable source for the industry and the most accurate place for measuring the popularity of music listening behavior happening on the world’s largest music platform. In an effort to provide more transparency to the industry and align with the policies of official charting companies such as Billboard and Nielsen, we are no longer counting paid advertising views on YouTube in the YouTube Music Charts calculation. Artists will now be ranked based on view counts from organic plays.
Over the last few years, fans, artists, and their teams have touted the number of views a video receives on YouTube within the first 24 hours as the definitive representation of its instant cultural impact. It’s a great honor and one we take very seriously. As we look to maintain consistency and credibility across our platform, we’ve made some necessary revisions to our methodology for reporting 24-hour record debuts.
Our goal is to ensure YouTube remains a place where all artists are accurately recognized and celebrated for achieving success and milestones. Videos eligible for YouTube’s 24-hour record debuts are those with the highest views from organic sources within the first 24 hours of the video’s public release. This includes direct links to the video, search results, external sites that embed the video and YouTube features like the homepage, watch next and Trending. Video advertising is an effective way to reach specific audiences with a song debut, but paid advertising views on YouTube will no longer be considered when looking at a 24-hour record debut. The changes will not impact YouTube’s existing 24-hour record debut holders.
Staying true to YouTube’s overall mission of giving everyone a voice and showing them the world, we want to celebrate all artist achievements on YouTube as determined by their global fans. It’s the artists and fans that have made YouTube the best and most accurate measure of the world’s listening tastes, and we intend on keeping it that way.
Additional information on how YouTube Music Charts are calculated can be found here and additional details about YouTube Views and ads can be found here.
An update on kids and data protection on YouTube
New data practices for children’s content on YouTube
We are changing how we treat data for children’s content on YouTube. Starting in about four months, we will treat data from anyone watching children’s content on YouTube as coming from a child, regardless of the age of the user. This means that we will limit data collection and use on videos made for kids only to what is needed to support the operation of the service. We will also stop serving personalized ads on this content entirely, and some features will no longer be available on this type of content, like comments and notifications. In order to identify content made for kids, creators will be required to tell us when their content falls in this category, and we’ll also use machine learning to find videos that clearly target young audiences, for example those that have an emphasis on kids characters, themes, toys, or games.
Improvements to YouTube Kids
We continue to recommend parents use YouTube Kids if they plan to allow kids under 13 to watch independently. Tens of millions of people use YouTube Kids every week but we want even more parents to be aware of the app and its benefits. We’re increasing our investments in promoting YouTube Kids to parents with a campaign that will run across YouTube. We’re also continuing to improve the product. For example, we recently raised the bar for which channels can be a part of YouTube Kids, drastically reducing the number of channels on the app. And we’re bringing the YouTube Kids experience to the desktop.
Investing in family creators
We know these changes will have a significant business impact on family and kids creators who have been building both wonderful content and thriving businesses, so we’ve worked to give impacted creators four months to adjust before changes take effect on YouTube. We recognize this won’t be easy for some creators and are committed to working with them through this transition and providing resources to help them better understand these changes.
We are also going to continue investing in the future of quality kids, family and educational content. We are establishing a $ 100 million fund, disbursed over three years, dedicated to the creation of thoughtful, original children’s content on YouTube and YouTube Kids globally.
Training our teams
Championing the protections we have in place for children is a shared responsibility across the company. To that end, we are introducing new, mandatory annual training for our teams about our requirements in this area.
Today’s changes will allow us to better protect kids and families on YouTube, and this is just the beginning. We’ll continue working with lawmakers around the world in this area, including as the FTC seeks comments on COPPA. And in the coming months, we’ll share details on how we’re rethinking our overall approach to kids and families, including a dedicated kids experience on YouTube. I have the privilege of working alongside parents who deeply care about protecting kids. We know how important it is to provide children, families and family creators the best experience possible on YouTube and we are committed to getting it right.
Susan Wojcicki
Take your tunes on the road: YouTube Music comes to Waze
To listen to your favorites in YouTube Music as you drive with Waze, download the YouTube Music app for Android or iOS and start your free trial of YouTube Music Premium. Follow these simple steps to start listening:
- Open the Waze app
- Tap the music note icon to select YouTube Music as your audio app, and start enjoying your audio content directly from Waze.
- Don’t see the music note icon? Head to Settings > Audio Player to turn on “Show Audio Player”
Rolling out from today and soon available to all 50 markets where both YouTube Music and Waze are accessible, subscribers can now easily play music as they drive safely. Check out these YouTube Music playlists to queue up while on the road, and happy cruising!
- New Release Mix – Catch up on the latest drops as you drive, with this playlist filled with brand new music, selected just for you.
- Dance Pop Bangers – Soundtrack your party, or your road trip, with these party hits.
Lawrence Kennedy
Product Manager, YouTube Music
Lawrence recently listened to Dance Pop Bangers while driving with Waze
YouTube is removing its direct messaging feature in September
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Queen launches ‘You Are The Champions’ campaign, giving fans a chance to star in three new user-generated videos on YouTube
Queen — in partnership with YouTube Music, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records —has launched “You Are The Champions,” a unique new campaign that gives fans an exclusive chance to become a part of Queen history with a starring role in three brand-new, user-generated videos for three of the band’s most celebrated tracks. The campaign launched to celebrate Queen’s iconic music video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” becoming the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on YouTube.
Speaking from the band’s current sold-out North American tour, founding Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor said, “We are honoured that Bohemian Rhapsody has just hit one billion views on YouTube. We want to thank you all and celebrate with our amazing fans all around the world by creating three new music videos to our songs, all featuring you! Whether you are a musician, singer, dancer, visual artist or you just want to have some fun. Go to youarethechampions.com to find out more and we’ll see you on the road somewhere.”
As part of the campaign, musicians, singers, and instrumentalists can take on “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Visual artists will get the chance to design any word or phrase from the lyrics of “A Kind of Magic.” And, finally, dancers will be able to give their own interpretations for “Don’t Stop Me Now,” with a special instructional video created by Polly Bennett (Rami Malek’s movement coach from the hit film, “Bohemian Rhapsody”).
“I was so happy to be asked to choreograph for this initiative,” said famed movement director and choreographer, Bennett. “Rami (Malek) and I spent a lot of time moving to Queen’s music while filming ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ so I’m thrilled to encourage the world to do the same. Get dancing! I can’t wait to see what you make.”
In addition to the three music videos created by user content, a fourth video for “We Will Rock You” will re-create the song’s iconic BOOM BOOM CLAP using a collage of sporting event sounds. As a result, the new version will live as a sonic homage to the song’s energized relationship with sports.
Fans can visit youarethechampions.com to find out more and add their submissions* through August 18 by 11:59 p.m. ET. The final videos will be available on Queen’s official YouTube channel this fall.
*Terms and Conditions for UGC submissions here.
YouTube brings the sights and sounds of Lollapalooza 2019 to millions of music fans around the world with official live stream
YouTube will exclusively bring the biggest performances from Grant Park, Chicago to millions of music fans all over the world with the official live stream of Lollapalooza 2019, August 1 to 4. Iconic music moments from artists including twenty one pilots, The Revivalists, Janelle Monae, Rüfüs Du Sol and more will also be available via the live stream within the YouTube Music app.
In addition to curated performances throughout the four-day festival, YouTube Originals is partnering with Lollapalooza to produce original creative content, including backstage moments and exclusive artist moments just before they take the stage to be featured in and around the live stream. YouTube Music will amplify the Lollapalooza experience by presenting Lollapalooza themed playlists, The Lineup and Emerging Artists, to give fans another way to find all the music they love in one place.
YouTube’s live streams bring the festival experience into the hands and homes of millions of fans around the world. There is no other platform of its kind that allows artists to connect with a global audience and share their creativity in both visual and audio formats with billions of viewers around the globe, making the world smaller and music more expansive. The 2019 Lollapalooza live stream is presented by COVERGIRL, Warner Bros. Pictures (for the film “Blinded by the Light”), and T-Mobile.
Subscribe to Lollapalooza’s YouTube Channel for up-to-date information on when your favorite artists are streaming live, and follow @youtubemusic on Instagram and Twitter for behind-the-scenes moments all weekend long. There, you can watch the latest videos and relive past moments.
Queen’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody” video reaches historic 1 billion views milestone on YouTube
Queen’s iconic music video for “Bohemian Rhapsody” has now officially passed one billion views on YouTube, making history as the first pre-1990s video to reach one billion views on the platform.
The accompanying video for Queen’s 1975 single, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is generally recognized as the first-ever promotional music video, kick-starting and setting the gold-standard for the genre for decades to come. Today, it continues to inspire and entertain millions of fans around the world, more than 40 years after it was first created.
Speaking from the band’s current sold-out North American tour, founding Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor said, “We are honoured that Bohemian Rhapsody has just hit one billion views on YouTube. We want to thank you all and celebrate with our amazing fans all around the world by creating three new music videos to our songs, all featuring you! Whether you are a musician, singer, dancer, visual artist or you just want to have some fun. Go to youarethechampions.com to find out more and we’ll see you on the road somewhere.”
To celebrate this monumental achievement, a newly remastered HD version of the video is available today, for the first time ever and exclusively on the bands’ YouTube channel. Fans can now see the video restored in all its glory, as it was originally intended. Additionally, fans will now be able to access the song’s lyrics in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, Polish, German, Indonesian Bahasa, Korean, Czech, Russian and Turkish while watching the video.
To further honor this significant milestone, Queen — in partnership with YouTube Music, Universal Music Group and Hollywood Records — have announced the launch of ‘You Are The Champions,’ a unique new campaign that will give fans an exclusive chance to become a part of Queen history with a starring role in three brand-new, user-generated videos for three of the band’s most celebrated tracks. The campaign launches later this month, so stay tuned for more details.
As part of the campaign, musicians, singers, and instrumentalists can take on “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Dancers will be able to give their own interpretations for “Don’t Stop Me Now,” with a special instructional video created by Polly Bennett (Rami Malek’s movement coach from the hit film, “Bohemian Rhapsody”). And, finally, visual artists will get the chance to design any word or phrase from the lyrics of “A Kind of Magic.”
Fans can visit YouAreTheChampions.com to find out more and add their submissions! The finished videos will be published later this year on the bands’ official YouTube channel.
“Bohemian Rhapsody is a sonic and cinematic masterpiece that’s one of the most enduring songs of all time,” said Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music for YouTube. “The newly remastered video on YouTube will ensure the song continues to be rediscovered, embraced and beloved by old and new generations of music fans around the world. It’s incredible to help change the way fans experience music and provide a place for artist and fan connections worldwide.”
Celine Joshua (General Manager, Commercial, Content and Artist Strategy at Universal Music Group) said, “We are thrilled that Queen’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody” video has reached a historic one billion views on YouTube. Now, together with Queen, YouTube and Hollywood Records, we are excited to launch ‘You Are The Champions,’ an innovative, new user-generated video campaign with Queen’s incredible fans around the world at its core. This will be the first of a series of custom initiatives we have planned in the coming months on the official Queen channel.”
As well as its status as being the first music promo video of its kind, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is regularly cited as one of the greatest songs ever recorded. In 2004, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and Freddie Mercury’s vocal performance was named by the readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the best in rock history.
The song has continued to inspire a new generation of fans following the unprecedented global success of last year’s biographical film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which tells the incredible story of the band’s career, as well as the genesis of the song. The film is the highest-grossing music biopic in history, having generated more than $ 900 million dollars at the box office. The film also won four Oscars, including Rami Malek’s triumph in the Best Actor Category for his portrayal of legendary frontman Freddie Mercury on the big screen — a feat he repeated at both BAFTA and the Golden Globes.
YouTube Music now lets listeners switch seamlessly between audio and music videos
Imagine listening to a new track by your favorite artist in the YouTube Music app and having the ability to seamlessly switch over to watch the music video — no pauses, no interruptions, just a simple transition that keeps the music flowing. That’s exactly what we’re introducing! Today, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium subscribers can now make a seamless transition between a song and its music video for uninterrupted listening and watching.
Switching between songs and music videos is as simple as the tap of a button. Users will notice a video button at the top of the screen as they start listening to a song, and with a simple tap, they can instantly start watching the music video or flip back to the audio at the same point in the track.
This new feature simplifies listening to songs and watching videos, plus more!
- Discovering new music videos is easier than ever before. From recent mega-hits to deep cuts, if a song has a video, YouTube Music will surface a video button so switching between audio and visuals is just one click away.
- YouTube Music has perfectly time-matched over five million official music videos to their respective audio tracks, so no matter when or how often you flip back and forth between the two, you won’t miss a beat.
- When you flip from video to song, say goodbye to the other sounds that go with the music video — like those long introductions — and enjoy the song as it was intended.
- Not into music videos? We’ve got you covered. To stick to songs 100% of the time, visit your settings and turn off the music video option by toggling “Don’t play music videos” to the “on” position.
Whether you’re listening to your favorites or checking out new releases, your music experience just got way more interactive. To check out flipping between song and video, along with all the other great features, download the YouTube Music app for Android or iOS, and start your trial of YouTube Music Premium.
Brandon Bilinski, Product Manager, YouTube Music. He’s recently been listening to “Happier” by Marshmello & Bastille.
Long overdue, Amazon Prime Video comes to Chromecast and Android TV (and Fire TV gets YouTube)
If you’re an avid media enthusiast or a cord-cutter, you’ve probably run into the painful reality of Amazon and Google not really getting along. So far that’s limited some app availability between the two platforms. Google semi-recently pulled YouTube from Amazon’s Fire TV platform, and Amazon has never had a Google Cast option or Android […]
Come comment on this article: Long overdue, Amazon Prime Video comes to Chromecast and Android TV (and Fire TV gets YouTube)
YouTube Music and Universal Music Group change the way you see music
Great music videos are works of art that continue to drive cultural influence across generations. And just like priceless paintings or sculptures in museums, from time to time they need some TLC.
Now, in a pioneering partnership, YouTube is working with Universal Music Group to remaster some of the most iconic music videos of all time, to ensure current and future generations will get to enjoy these timeless classics as they’ve never before been experienced.
Starting today, exclusively on YouTube, you’ll find more than 100 music videos in the highest available video and audio quality, including titles from Billy Idol, Beastie Boys, Boyz II Men, George Strait, Janet Jackson, Kiss, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie, Maroon 5, Meat Loaf, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, The Killers, Tom Petty and more!
And this is just the beginning. YouTube and Universal Music Group are committed to fully upgrading nearly 1,000 music videos, painstakingly remastering some of the most important works in the history of the format to the highest possible standards. Each week over the next year, we’ll add more titles, with all 1,000 titles expected to be available before the end of 2020.
“It’s really an honor to partner with Universal Music Group and change the way fans around the globe will experience viewing some of the most classic and iconic videos. The quality is truly stunning,” said Stephen Bryan, Global Head of Label Relations at YouTube. “It’s our goal to ensure that today’s music videos — true works of art — meet the high quality standards that artists’ works deserve and today’s music fans expect.”
For years, some of the greatest music videos in YouTube’s catalog have been available only in the outdated standards originally intended for tube televisions with mono speakers. With this new initiative, we’re upgrading videos, vastly improving the viewing experience, whether on mobile, desktop or living room screens. The new videos will seamlessly replace the original versions on both YouTube and within YouTube Music, while retaining the same url, view-counts and “likes.”
Michael Nash, Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy at UMG, said, “We’re excited to partner with YouTube to present these iconic music videos in the highest audio and video quality possible. Our recording artists and video directors imbued these videos with so much creativity; it’s great to enable the full experience of their vision and music. These videos not only look amazing on any screen now, they will be enjoyed by music fans for decades to come.”
Celebrate the anniversary of some of the most iconic music videos of all time by seeing the remastered versions for the first time ever on YouTube, including:
- Tom Petty’s music video for “Free Fallin’” released 30 years ago
- Beastie Boys’ music video for “Sabotage” released 25 years ago
- Lady Gaga’s music video for “Bad Romance” released 10 years ago
YouTube Music will continue to roll out remastered music videos from your favorite UMG artists, so be on the lookout for “Remastered” in the description of videos as they transform from SD to HD, exclusively on YouTube!
— YouTube Music Team
YouTube coming to Tesla screens
At the 2019 E3 video game convention in Los Angeles this week, Tesla revealed that they are planning to make YouTube available via the main infotainment screens in their vehicles. Support for YouTube should drop when Tesla pushes out version 10 of the software stack that Tesla makes available in their vehicles. The journey to […]
Come comment on this article: YouTube coming to Tesla screens
YouTube declines to pull videos containing homophobic, racist attacks
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More ways to buy tour tickets on YouTube
Starting today, fans will be able to purchase even more tickets to upcoming shows in the U.S. by their favorite artists. Read more about our new partnership with AXS, the second-largest ticket provider in North America, on our YouTube for Artists blog.
YouTube Music can now play local files, just like your iPod in 2009
Google has added a staple feature to YouTube Music, turning it into music player that’s finally competitive with the Microsoft Zune and your old iPod that’s sitting in a drawer somewhere. Yep, YouTube Music can now play your local files instead of streaming everything. What year is it, again? This feature is long, long overdue, […]
Come comment on this article: YouTube Music can now play local files, just like your iPod in 2009
Trending on YouTube: Sustainable Fashion, Living and Clean Beauty
In celebration of Earth Day, we’re spotlighting some of the many creators who help the planet shine a little brighter every day. Here are six who are leading the trends around sustainable fashion, living and clean beauty today.
Sustainable Fashion
Many people are beginning to take a closer look at what they’re wearing these days – not just to make sure that their look is on trend but to examine its potential impact on the environment. Sustainable fashion haul videos have increased by over 1,300% this year! 
Justine Leconte is a French fashion designer who’s become a leading voice in the growing trend of sustainable fashion. Her channel gives viewers tips on how to shop for sustainable fashion and how to build a sustainable wardrobe on a budget. Justine has over 500,000 subscribers, 40% of whom subscribed just last year.
Since 2018, we’ve seen a 13x view increase on sustainable haul videos, and creators are uploading these types of videos 190% more every year. In a vintage twist, UCLA film student Ashley has found an audience of more than one million subscribers with a thrifting-focused channel called Bestdressed.
Fun fact: She currently has the most-viewed “sustainable haul” video.
Sustainable Lifestyles
Sustainable culture isn’t just about looking good; it’s also about living thoughtfully in all facets of life. From minimalists to tiny homes, van living to the zero waste community, sustainable lifestyles are on the rise at YouTube. Views for videos that provide tips for living a more eco-friendly lifestyle doubled in 2018 compared to 2017.
One of the creators driving this trend is Canadian Candace Hutchings and her channel the Edgy Veg. Now with over 300K subscribers, she’s introduced to her audience a revolutionary new way to approach vegetarian and vegan cuisine, as well as shown the benefits of zero-waste living.
Fun fact: Her video with 20 tips on how to reduce waste is the most-watched video about sustainable living last year.
Meanwhile, Austin-based creator Shelby is a self-described eco-realist who uses her channel Shelbizleee to showcase “zero-waste swaps.” She gives helpful everyday tips on how to replace our most commonly used items with sustainable options to lead a less wasteful lifestyle.
And other channels on YouTube (#Vanlife and #TinyHome) go even bigger than daily zero-waste tips to a complete overhaul of how we think about our homes.
Over 400K subscribers follow the adventures of Jinti Fell as the Australian family travels across the world in a van. The channel exemplifies the tiny home/van life ethos, a movement dedicated to reducing one’s footprint economically and materially to the bare minimum one needs to live.
Clean Beauty
Beauty creators and viewers are also looking to cleaner and healthier alternatives for their go-to beauty products. There’s a lot to unpack given there’s no global standard: the EU has banned 1,328 chemicals from cosmetics, but in the U.S., it’s only 11. Still, last October we saw a 7x increase in monthly views of videos with Clean Beauty in the title.
One creator in this space to watch is Allana Davison, a beauty and lifestyle vlogger with over half a million subscribers. She’s dedicated videos on how to do a full face using purely 100% clean beauty products.
Allana and all the other YouTubers forging ahead in sustainability have not only found a way to minimize their own environmental impact, but they’ve also inspired others to do the same. Mother and entrepreneur Krystn Keller was already a fan of clean beauty when grappling with how to help her son Elliot, who suffered from severe eczema over his entire body. His skin condition was debilitating to the point where he missed developmental milestones. Determined to find a solution, she began watching soap-making tutorials on YouTube (i.e. The Soap Queen) and learned how to make her own soap. After several months of trial and error, she found the perfect formula that not only helped her son, but also inspired her to create her own business, Keller Works. She now sells clean soap products in stores across her home state of Alabama and online.
Whether it’s a tiny swap or a big life change, we can look to YouTubers across the world to motivate us, teach us, and guide us on our way to a more sustainable life.
Posted by Earnest Pettie who recently watched Lil Dicky – Earth (Official Music Video)
Google Home speakers can now stream ad-supported (and free) YouTube Music
Google is making their Google Home speakers even better right out of the box, and now you’ll be able to stream music right away without setting anything else up or spending money. Of course, you’ve pretty much always been able to do this with things like Spotify and Pandora, but now you have the Google […]
Come comment on this article: Google Home speakers can now stream ad-supported (and free) YouTube Music
Enjoy YouTube Music free on Google Home speakers
Listening to music on your Google Home speaker right out-of-the-box seems too good to be true, right? It’s not! Starting today, YouTube Music is offering a free, ad-supported experience on Google Home speakers (or other Google Assistant-powered speakers).
Need a groove to get you ready for a night out? Say, “Hey Google, play Latin vibes.” Looking to kick off a dinner party or pick a power playlist for your home workout? We’ve got you covered. With YouTube Music and Google Home, you can ask Google Home to play the right music for any moment or mood, and YouTube Music will play the perfect station, customized to your tastes based upon your request.
For even more control when listening to music on smart speakers or in the YouTube Music mobile app, upgrade to YouTube Music Premium for $ 9.99/month. YouTube Music Premium on your smart speakers gives you the ability to request specific albums, songs, artists, and playlists on-demand. It also offers useful player controls, such as unlimited skips and song replay.
An upgrade to YouTube Music Premium also lets you background play music through the YouTube Music app while using other apps, and allows downloads for offline listening when you’re on-the-go. Best of all, listening is completely ad-free across every device. If you’re new to YouTube Music Premium, get a free 30-day trial.
We’ve made it easy to set YouTube Music as the music provider in your home. Here’s how to start:
If you already have a Google Home, navigate to Account Settings in your Google Home app, tap Services and select Music. Then, select YouTube Music as the default music service. If you are setting up a new Google Home speaker, choose YouTube Music as the default music service during the setup process.
Music fans can now listen to free, ad-supported YouTube Music on smart speakers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, and Austria. It’ll be available in more countries soon.
For additional information, check out our Help Center. And if you want to enjoy YouTube Music everywhere and anywhere, download the YouTube Music app in the Play Store or App Store.
James Goddard, Software Engineer for YouTube Music, who recently listened to “Lost” by Dermot Kennedy
YouTube to live stream Coachella Weekend 2 for the first time ever
For the first time ever, YouTube will keep the cameras rolling for Coachella Weekend 2 with the exclusive second weekend live stream of the festival! After a record-breaking Weekend 1 live stream earning over 82 million live views — an increase of over 90% compared to views in 2018 —Weekend 2 will feature “Coachella Curated,” a new curated live stream of performances sponsored by Pantene & CALVIN KLEIN in the U.S., and Garnier and Coca-Cola in Canada. YouTube is making sure no one misses out on the action, bringing all of the “can’t miss” moments from the desert to music fans all over the world through the immersive live stream available to fans wherever they are.
First-Ever Weekend 2 Coachella Curated and Yuma Tent Live Streams (April 19-21)
Coachella Curated, hosted by Jason Bentley from KCRW, along with special guests, and available to live stream on Coachella’s YouTube Channel on any screen (desktop, mobile and living room) and within the YouTube Music app, will take a deep dive into the festival experience and deliver fans a slate of original content. Weekend 2’s curated live stream features select songs and performances from both weekends, artist interviews and commentary, mini-docs, animated adventures and more.
Coachella Curated trains its sights on artists from across the line-up and captures them both onstage and at home — spanning the globe to share stories from the homes of performers like Billie Eilish, Cola Boyy, Idris Elba, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Calypso Rose, Bob Moses, Mr Eazi, and Nina Kraviz. These traveling tales, filmed on six continents with festival founder Paul Tollett, offer a unique look at the international energy that comes together on the Empire Polo Grounds before beaming back out via YouTube.
Confirmed artists appearing in the Coachella Curated live stream display the diversity of talent taking the stage in Indio, from emerging artists Little Simz and Cola Boyy to headliner performers. The multi-genre musical menu also offers chart-toppers, such as Bad Bunny, Jaden Smith, Tame Impala, Billie Eilish, and SOFI TUKKER; festival favorites Bob Moses, Mac DeMarco and RÜFÜS DU SOL; and DJ heroes Dillon Francis, and Nina Kraviz. American acts Maggie Rogers, Khruangbin and Tierra Whack add female-fronted flavors of rock, pop, hip-hop and R&B, while international acts BLACKPINK, Los Tucanes De Tijuana, Calypso Rose, Christine and the Queens, Mr Eazi and Burna Boy showcase the borderless taste and boundary-less sounds of Coachella 2019.
Weekend 2 will also tap into the energy of the Yuma Tent, Coachella’s deep desert disco, broadcasting, for the first time, full DJ sets on a second dedicated channel. The Yuma stream will feature sets by Idris Elba, Guy Gerber, Nicole Moudaber, Deep Dish, Nocturnal Sunshine, and more.
Tune in April 19 – 21 starting at 5 p.m. PDT for an all-new Coachella streaming experience on Coachella’s YouTube Channel on any screen (desktop, mobile and living room) and within the YouTube Music app.
Relive Weekend 1 Through Video On Demand Performances and Interviews
Fans can also relive some of the jaw-dropping performances from Weekend 1, the most viewed Coachella live stream ever, with performance clips hosted on the Coachella YouTube channel and in YouTube Music, featuring performances from Ariana Grande, Janelle Monae, The 1975, Kacey Musgraves and more.
Also not to be missed are Weekend 1 interviews from 19-year-old robot, Miquela who spoke with J Balvin, King Princess, and JPEGMAFIA — all of which will air during the Weekend 2 live stream. Miquela spent Weekend 1 hanging out at the YouTube Music lounge as seen here and here. Tune into @youtubemusic and @lilmiquela on social this weekend for additional coverage.
Experience Coachella Through The YouTube Music App
The YouTube Music app (iOS, Android) will be home to this year’s most complete Coachella music experience with the launch of live streaming. Whether you’re at home on the couch or at the pool in Indio, you can enjoy playlists based on this year’s lineup, such as The Lineup, Hip-Hop, Latin, watch or listen in audio-only mode to the live stream both weekends, and check out performance clips after the festival is over on the Coachella YouTube Music channel.
Subscribe to Coachella’s YouTube channel for up-to-date information on when your favorite artists are streaming live, and follow @youtubemusic on Instagram and Twitter to watch the latest videos and relive past moments.
Updates to YouTube TV: More content and a new price
Two years ago, we launched YouTube TV to bring the best of live TV, delivered the way you want. Since then, we’ve been working to build a package that fits your needs. We expanded nationwide, added 10+ new channels, improved our DVR and launched new features to take your viewing experience to the next level.
As we continue to listen to you and build a best-in-class content and product experience, we have a few updates to share today.
We’ve been listening when you asked for the Discovery network brands. Today, we are excited to announce that we’re bringing eight of your favorite channels to YouTube TV: Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, and MotorTrend. We’ll also be adding OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network later this year. In addition, EPIX is now available for an additional charge.
This means that you’ll be able to follow along on the adventures of Sig Hansen and Captain Keith Colburn on “Deadliest Catch,” watch as Drew and Jonathan Scott create dream homes on “Property Brothers,” and celebrate as Randy Fenoli and the Kleinfeld crew help brides in “Say Yes to the Dress.” Add EPIX to watch Max Easton and his team at MI6 as they look to save the world on “Deep State,” or catch up on the earlier exploits of another British agent in “Moonraker.”
In keeping with our goal of giving you the content you want—when you want it—YouTube TV now includes 70+ networks, 6 accounts per household (each with its own unique recommendations and cloud DVR with no storage space limits), and 3 concurrent streams. It’s all included in the base cost of YouTube TV. We also provide complete local affiliate coverage, with local feeds from all of the four largest broadcasters in over 90% of the markets where YouTube TV is available, and three of four stations in all the rest. And you can watch YouTube TV on any screen—mobile devices, tablets, computers and TVs. We will continue to expand the list of supported devices.
To keep bringing you the best service possible, we’re updating our membership price to $ 49.99/month. The price for members billed through Apple will be $ 54.99/month. This new price takes effect today, April 10, for new members. Existing subscribers will see these changes reflected in their subsequent billing cycle after May 13.
Posted by Christian Oestlien, Vice President of Product Management, YouTube TV
YouTube delivers Coachella 2019 to millions of global music fans with official two-weekend live stream
For the ninth year in a row, YouTube continues to take the magic of Coachella beyond the Indio desert and into the homes and phones of millions of people around the world with the exclusive two-weekend live stream of Coachella 2019. YouTube is providing a global stage for artists and fans to connect with live stream performances from headliners to some of the biggest artists on the rise, including Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande, Tame Impala, Kacey Musgraves, Billie Eilish, BLACKPINK, Juice WRLD, Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa, Gryffin, Maggie Rogers, Chvrches Little Zimz, Cola Boyy and many more.
YouTube Music is turning it up a notch at Coachella 2019, making sure music fans — no matter where they are — can enjoy the world’s preeminent music festival in convenient and immersive new ways.
Weekend 1 Live Stream (April 12-14)
YouTube’s Weekend 1 live stream, presented by T-Mobile in the U.S., and Garnier and Coca-Cola in Canada, will give music fans around the world the best seats in the desert for groundbreaking performances from their favorite artists when they tune into Coachella’s YouTube Channel on any screen (desktop, mobile and living room) and within the YouTube Music app.
Fans tuning in will have their choice of three live stream feeds with different artists performing simultaneously. Programming starts at 4 p.m. PT on Friday, April 12, and runs through the weekend. To ensure you don’t miss your favorite performance, personalized viewing schedules can be created and live stream channels will automatically change to artists selected by fans.
Highlights from the weekend will be available through a video-on-demand hub, with co-hosts Nadeska Alexis, Valerie Lee, and special guests to bring fans interviews with artists and creators from throughout the festival.
First-Ever Weekend 2 Coachella Curated Live Stream (April 19-21)
For the first time ever, YouTube Music and Coachella will keep the cameras rolling on weekend 2, with a carefully curated live stream sponsored by Pantene and CALVIN KLEIN in the U.S., and Garnier and Coca-Cola in Canada. Coachella Curated, hosted by Jason Bentley from KCRW, will take a deep dive into the festival experience and deliver fans a slate of original content—encore and live performances, artist commentary, mini-docs, animated adventures and more—to accompany the best bits of live music and in-studio interviews with Coachella performers.
Coachella Curated sets its sights on artists from across the line-up and captures them on-site and off, spanning the globe to share stories from the homes of headliner performers, festival favorites and newly discovered talent. These traveling tales—filmed on six continents with Coachella’s Paul Tollett—offer a unique look at the multinational energy that comes together on the Empire Polo Grounds before beaming back out via YouTube.
Confirmed artists appearing in the Coachella Curated live stream display the diversity of talent taking the stage in Indio. Weekend 2 programming and live stream schedule will be available soon.
Experience Coachella Through the YouTube Music App
The YouTube Music app (iOS, Android) will be home to this year’s most complete Coachella music experience with the launch of live streaming. Whether you’re at home on the couch or at the pool in Indio, you can enjoy playlists based on this year’s lineup, such as The Lineup, Hip-Hop, and Latin. Watch or listen in audio-only mode to the live stream both weekends, and check out performance clips after the festival is over.
Live from New York City’s Times Square
YouTube will make history with a first-ever broadcast of a festival live stream on New York City’s iconic Times Square big screen, giving East Coast music fans a chance to gather together and share in the Coachella experience. YouTube will stream BLACKPINK’s highly anticipated performance on The Beast screen in Times Square at 11:50 p.m. ET on Friday, April 12, 2019.
Miquela Interviews Performers at Coachella 2019!
2019 will go down as Lil Miquela’s first-ever appearance at Coachella and first time hosting on video! The 19-year-old robot is teaming up with YouTube Music to host artist interviews with 2019 Coachella performers, including J Balvin, King Princess, and more. Check out her interviews during the webcast on Coachella’s YouTube Channel and across @youtubemusic and @youtube on social media.
Subscribe to Coachella’s YouTube channel for up-to-date information on when your favorite artists are streaming live, and follow @youtubemusic on Instagram and Twitter to watch the latest videos and relive past moments.
Take a look inside our YouTube House
It’s morning here at the YouTube House in New York City, and we’re getting ready for a packed day inside our first-ever experiential house.
It’s a pop-up, and since we know most of you are tuning in from far away, we wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes tour of our temporary digs. In the video below, you’ll see how YouTube isn’t just a place for watching random videos, but a community where people congregate for music, fitness, food, culture, and so much more.
See if you can spot some guest appearances from The Fitness Marshall and Laura in the Kitchen, too!
— The YouTube Team
YouTube Premium teams up with Samsung Galaxy S10 to offer users 4 months free
YouTube is giving Samsung Galaxy S10 customers a reason to celebrate by giving the gift of YouTube Premium! Starting today, users can enjoy four months of free, uninterrupted, ad-free access to YouTube, and our new music streaming service, YouTube Music.
With this new offer, users can bring the best of YouTube Premium and Galaxy S10 together for an incredible viewing and listening experience:
Seamless, ad-free streaming
The world’s first HDR10+ certified Dynamic AMOLED screen on Galaxy S10 devices means YouTube videos—including YouTube Originals—look crisper and fuller than ever. And now, you can watch ad-free.
Background play
Keep in your flow, even with your phone in your pocket. With YouTube Premium, you can keep videos playing when the screen is off.
Next-gen downloading
YouTube Premium means you can download videos for when you’re on the go. And by connecting with Galaxy S10’s next-generation Wi-Fi 6 support, downloading is as fast as it’s ever been.
YouTube Music
A new music streaming app, made by YouTube. Enjoy millions of official songs, albums, live performances, music videos, and more—ad-free, offline and in the background with YouTube Premium.
Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Tab S5e devices will also come with a 4-month offer once available for purchase. And all other Samsung Galaxy device owners who activate a device between February 20, 2019 – February 29, 2020 will be able to try YouTube Premium for 2 months free*. Both 4- and 2-month offers are available globally where Samsung Galaxy devices and YouTube Premium are available**.
Ready to redeem your offer with a qualifying device? Click here.
*Standard eligibility applies: Offer only available to customers who are not current YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium or Google Play Music subscribers, have not been YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, YouTube Red, or Google Play Music subscribers, nor participated in a YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, Google Play Music, or YouTube Red trial before. At the end of the trial period, users will be automatically charged the standard subscription price unless cancelled before the end of the trial. Offer must be redeemed by March 31, 2020.
**Offer available to participants in the United States, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada (excluding Quebec), Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
International Women’s Day at YouTube
Here at YouTube, we love celebrating the diverse group of talented creators that make our platform so unique. And in honor of International Women’s Day, we asked a few of our most dynamic female creators to share with us how they started on their YouTube journeys, and to fill us in on what they’ve learned along the way.
A little about each of them:
Flavia Calina started off as a Brazilian beauty vlogger, but then made a more personal shift by sharing her struggles with fertility. Now a mother of two with a third on the way, she offers up parenting tips and tricks to her channel’s 6.4 million subscribers.
Nikita Dragun is an American makeup and beauty guru who made her transgender transformation into an honest, unfiltered series on her 2+ million subscriber channel.
Yammy is a top global gaming creator based out of England who aims to make gaming fun for all audiences. She’s nearing 2 million subscribers on her channel.
Komal Pandey is an Indian lifestyle creator with a quickly growing subscriber base of over 690k users…who swears she’ll never judge a girl who has nothing to wear out of a closet full of clothes.
And I Get Dressed is an up-and-coming style U.S. channel run by fashion expert and proponent of “inspired inclusive style,” Kellie Brown.
Tell us about starting up your own YouTube channel. What was your motivation and what did you feel like your voice could bring to the world?
Flavia Calina: I first started as a hobby, I wanted a creative outlet to share what I was learning on YouTube. [At the time] it was makeup. But once my audience grew a little, I knew I wanted to talk about my passion and really share my expertise on early childhood education and the importance of raising children with respect in a peaceful environment so we can build stronger individuals, families and communities.
Nikita Dragun: A lot of my first initial trans kind of education came from YouTube in terms of things that weren’t necessarily taught to me in my conservative Virginia school. But by doing so, I grew frustrated because I just didn’t see anyone like me talking about the things that I needed in terms of my trans identity.
When I first started making videos, I actually wasn’t as open about my trans identity. But the second I started being honest, in my very first I’m transgender video, that was the first real viral moment I had. And also too, it was the first time I ever said I’m transgender even to myself. I didn’t tell my parents, I didn’t tell one person in my life. Once I did that…it’s just crazy how much support I was getting from people all across the world from all different types of walks of life And so documenting like my surgeries, documenting my hormones, then just every little step in my transition, was obviously hard and revealing. But I knew a lot of people just didn’t know all these things that trans people kind of go through and it opened a lot of eyes.
Yammy: When I originally started my channel, I just started it to make friends. I wanted to be a part of the community. And specifically I wanted to find other females who played games, because back then it was quite hard to find other people with the same interests.
Komal Pandey: Youtube was always a far-fetched dream, but one morning I woke up and decided to just shoot a video and put it up…In a week I bagged 100k subscribers (almost 700k now in a year) and since then my channel has been my first and last love. I am the personal stylist every girl can have at one click and I TOTALLY have their back when they say “I have nothing to wear.”
Kellie of And I Get Dressed: I felt like a lot of the fashion people on YouTube, especially the plus-size fashion people, it’s more like they’re trying things on, different brands. But me having actual fashion industry experience, gives me a little bit of a different vibe. And it could be something cool that people will see that the fashion industry is not only for thin people. Fat people work in this industry. We’re successful in this industry. We are stylish and authoritative and the rest of the world, they’re listening and paying attention, you know?
Were there any female creators that you admired or found inspirational when you started—and why?
Yammy: There weren’t that many females in the gaming community, but there was a channel called iHasCupquake. And she was a huge inspiration to me because her friendly and bubbly persona was kind of—it reminded me when watching the videos of when I would sit on my brother’s bed and watch him play on the Mega Drive. It didn’t feel like I was watching a game. It kind of felt like I was with a friend. So she inspired me to kind of be the same when I was making my videos. Not be like just a tutorial channel, kind of just like a friendly video.
International Women’s Day is about celebrating and empowering women. From what you’ve experienced, how does YouTube help further these causes?
Flavia Calina: YouTube is an amazing platform to give women a voice. All of us women have a place to talk about sensitive issues such as maternity, loss, infertility, struggles, resilience, strength. We all learn from each other’s experiences and can apply to our own lives and our own community.
Women creators are also businesswomen now, thanks to YouTube, and I feel we are given the same opportunity as everyone else on the platform.
Yammy: So now one of the top gaming channels in the world is run by ItsFunneh, who’s a female, and I never thought I’d see the day…but because YouTube is such a worldwide platform, there are so many other people like me who wanted to be a part of the community and found her channel. I just think that’s amazing.
Komal Pandey: Like the name YouTube suggests, it’s just YOU and your camera. You’re one video away from voicing your opinion with the highest degree of freedom and that’s a powerful weapon to have. Nothing is more empowering than being on a platform that allows you to use your voice as your weapon.
Kellie of And I Get Dressed: And when it comes to inspiration, there’s no greater thing than like some girl who’s six, or some woman who’s 60, who are able to turn on a camera, create content, be diligent, and then live the kind of life you want to live because the platform enables you to be an entrepreneur in the greatest sense of the word.
What has been most rewarding for you as a creator?
Flavia Calina: For me, it’s to really have a place and a voice to share my experiences and advocate for children for such a large audience. We have an amazing opportunity and responsibility with our community and I’m able to push myself everyday to bring better days not only for my own children but for the children around the world. Another rewarding part of being a creator on YouTube is to be able to do everything from my own home and still be present with my children. YouTube has changed my family tree, my legacy, and I take it very seriously.
Nikita Dragun: I think it’s so inspiring to see people who may or may not necessarily be trans or who have no affiliation to gender questioning or gender identity—who are cisgender females—they get inspired by my story because ultimately it’s a story about trying to be the best version of yourself. I think everyone goes through this obstacle, right? But for me, three years ago, it was like night and day from now until then. So for people to see me struggle, to see me questioning my identity, to see me financially unstable and going through college and not having all the answers…and still fighting to be who I wanted to be.
Yammy: I’ve had a lot of comments saying because of your videos, you’ve inspired me to open up a channel and they’re all from younger girls. And that really makes me happy that I’ve been able to inspire people just like iHasCupquake inspired me. The fact that I was inspired by her, and now I’m inspiring people, and then maybe they’ll become a YouTuber and they’ll inspire other females. It’s kind of like this generational passing on of it’s okay to be a female gamer.
Komal Pandey: My audience, for sure. YouTube is the only platform that helps you build a very very very loyal subscriber base. They will love you, protect you, critique you. And they will fight for you with the trolls too!
What has been most challenging about being a female creator?
Flavia Calina: The work-life balance. I’m so passionate about what I do that I find it hard to balance being a wife, mother, daughter, friend, businesswoman, all at the same time.
Nikita Dragun: What was so crazy when I took on this journey was that, you know, for 18 years of my life I was obviously considered a male. I didn’t face certain things that women obviously face. When the switch happened, it just became so much more apparent that it was about so many other things than just who I am as a person. It became about what I’m wearing and how I looked and you know, my overall aura…If I wasn’t happy or if I was too confident and I was too stuck up and into myself and it was just so many more comments.
Yammy: So definitely people do judge your appearance a lot more. But also there’s another aspect to it, which is because we are female, we tend to only attract a female audience. My audience is 80% female whereas a male gamer would attract both the female audience and the male audience. It’s kind of challenging that way. I feel like it’s a lot harder to grow if you’re a female cause you kind of aiming at other females.
Kellie of And I Get Dressed: The main challenge for me is sort of being pigeonholed because if you’re a guy, you can be anything. You know, you can be chubby, you can be classically handsome, you can be funny, you can be smart, and people will give you a chance. They won’t have an expectation of you based on your appearance. And with women, it’s totally different. Especially being a plus-sized woman, I can be talking about like the best hotels, and just from looking at me people might say, “Oh, she’s just going to do a plus size haul, so I don’t need to watch that.”
What advice do you have for other women thinking of starting their own channel?
Flavia Calina: Don’t compare yourself to others. You are unique, you have a special talent that no other woman has. Share your voice, your passion and be consistent about it.
Nikita Dragun: You know, everyone can be someone but no one can be you. And obviously, you have to be very strong. You know, lots of comments good and bad, but I just tried to focus my energy on the good and honestly, if I survived high school, I can survive your comments.
Yammy: I would say just do it. Just be yourself. It doesn’t matter what you look like, just make videos and go for it. There’s nothing to stop you anymore.
Is there anything YouTube can do as a company to encourage female creators more?
Nikita Dragun: I think just supporting the creators and really letting everyone flourish and highlighting unique stories is the way to go. Because obviously the more diverse the better. And I think YouTube is already on the right track with that. But you know, any way that they can help and continue to flourish that I think it will only grow and help everyone.
These responses have been edited and condensed.
YouTube prevents anti-vaccine channels from running ads
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LIVE TOMORROW: Tune into the BRIT Awards 2019, featuring George Ezra, Dua Lipa and Jorja Smith on YouTube
For the sixth consecutive year, for those outside the UK, YouTube is letting you in on the action with a livestream of the show from the O2 Arena in London. Just tune in at youtube.com/BRITs on your favorite screen—whether that’s your mobile, tablet or TV—tomorrow, February 20 at 11:30 a.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. GMT. Following the show, no matter your location, you can watch and rewatch the performances on YouTube Music.
Adding to tomorrow’s excitement, YouTube star and global sensation, Todrick Hall, who has 2.9 million subscribers, will present the YouTube Livestream, giving people outside the UK incredible behind-the-scenes access from the show, while providing a front row seat to the drama, gossip, and artist interactions. Vick Hope will join Hall as co-host; and once the show is over, they will continue broadcasting an everyone’s-invited Official After Party on YouTube, recapping the biggest moments from the night.
This year, nominated stars like George Ezra, Dua Lipa, The 1975, Little Mix and Jorja Smith—who either got their start on YouTube, launched albums on the platform, or have used it to grow their fanbases to a global level—are set to perform. Be sure to tune in to see their show-stopping, on-stage renditions of their beloved hits.
For the second year running, comedian Jack Whitehall will be bringing his brilliant jokes and outrageous capers as the event’s host to make the night one you’ll never forget. After all, what could be better than a mix of top-rated musical talent and hilarious antics to make for an unforgettable night?
And as a special treat for Londoners who didn’t score tickets to the O2: select winners from the night will be projected gloriously onto County Hall and Old Billingsgate to make for a magical, one-of-a-kind YouTube Music moment atop the Thames. There will also be a chance to see your favorite nominees and winners celebrated on billboards throughout the country, and YouTube adverts showcasing the official BRITs content on the YouTube Music App.
Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of BPI & BRIT Awards said, “The BRIT Awards is the most spectacular night in music, showcasing the exceptional talent of a diverse range of British artists at home and around the world. We have seen tremendous growth in the digital and social reach of the BRITs, and partnering with YouTube once again for our live stream of the show enables us to introduce British music to a global audience that is growing all the time.”
And in case you missed it, after the show you’ll find performances from the artists on a special, exclusive YouTube Music BRITs playlist. But for those who want to enjoy the BRIT Awards LIVE—don’t forget to tune in at youtube.com/BRITs on February 20 at 11:30 a.m. PT / 2:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. GMT.
—The YouTube Music Team
Researchers blame YouTube for the rise in Flat Earthers
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State of the Union 2019: Live on YouTube
As we have done since 2010, YouTube will live stream the President’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 5 at 9 p.m. ET, as well as the response. This year, you can tune in to live streams in both English and Spanish. Here are the channels where you can follow the coverage:
- White House
- ABC News
- CBS News
- C-SPAN
- Fox News
- NBC News
- New York Times
- PBS NewsHour
- Telemundo
- Wall Street Journal
- Washington Post
Brandon Feldman, YouTube News and Politics
YouTube Music comes to Sonos
Check out some of the YouTube Music features available on Sonos:
Recommended
Loaded with listening suggestions based on your favorites, Recommended has playlists for your every mood, plus your favorites and last played, ready to go. From Mellow Moods to Energy Boosters to Throwback Jams, quickly find what’s right for you in the moment.
New Releases
Find a collection of the freshest music specifically tailored to your tastes. Listen to newly released songs and albums. This week, my list featured Maggie Rogers, YouTube Music’s latest Artist on the Rise.
Top YouTube Charts
YouTube Charts are the best way to see what’s hot in music right now. The Top 100 Songs chart catalogs the most popular songs globally, and you’ll also find a local version that’s tailored to what’s trending in your country.
Your Mixtape
This personalized playlist features a mix of your favorites and new songs we think you’ll love. It’s constantly updating, so you can always count on Your Mixtape to deliver a new combination right at your fingertips within the Sonos app.
Library
Easily find your saved playlists, albums, and songs in your Library.
Available in all countries where YouTube Music and YouTube Premium are available, fans with a subscription can now easily play YouTube Music through a Sonos app. Already have Sonos and ready to try YouTube Music? Start your free trial at youtube.com/musicpremium, and learn more about setting up your account with Sonos here.
Brandon Bilinski, Product Manager for YouTube Music, who recently listened to “Light On” by Maggie Rogers on his Sonos Play:5
Sonos now works with YouTube Music
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Continuing our work to improve recommendations on YouTube
You might remember that a few years ago, viewers were getting frustrated with clickbaity videos with misleading titles and descriptions (“You won’t believe what happens next!”). We responded by updating our system to focus on viewer satisfaction instead of views, including measuring likes, dislikes, surveys, and time well spent, all while recommending clickbait videos less often. More recently, people told us they were getting too many similar recommendations, like seeing endless cookie videos after watching just one recipe for snickerdoodles. We now pull in recommendations from a wider set of topics—on any given day, more than 200 million videos are recommended on the homepage alone. In fact, in the last year alone, we’ve made hundreds of changes to improve the quality of recommendations for users on YouTube.
We’ll continue that work this year, including taking a closer look at how we can reduce the spread of content that comes close to—but doesn’t quite cross the line of—violating our Community Guidelines. To that end, we’ll begin reducing recommendations of borderline content and content that could misinform users in harmful ways—such as videos promoting a phony miracle cure for a serious illness, claiming the earth is flat, or making blatantly false claims about historic events like 9/11.
While this shift will apply to less than one percent of the content on YouTube, we believe that limiting the recommendation of these types of videos will mean a better experience for the YouTube community. To be clear, this will only affect recommendations of what videos to watch, not whether a video is available on YouTube. As always, people can still access all videos that comply with our Community Guidelines and, when relevant, these videos may appear in recommendations for channel subscribers and in search results. We think this change strikes a balance between maintaining a platform for free speech and living up to our responsibility to users.
This change relies on a combination of machine learning and real people. We work with human evaluators and experts from all over the United States to help train the machine learning systems that generate recommendations. These evaluators are trained using public guidelines and provide critical input on the quality of a video.
This will be a gradual change and initially will only affect recommendations of a very small set of videos in the United States. Over time, as our systems become more accurate, we’ll roll this change out to more countries. It’s just another step in an ongoing process, but it reflects our commitment and sense of responsibility to improve the recommendations experience on YouTube.
— The YouTube Team