Official Blog
Five observations from my time at YouTube
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Earlier this year, I was asked by Google (because they know I am pre "Sucker M.C.") to work on a
Doodle
celebrating the 44th anniversary of the music that changed my life. The birth of hip-hop was a fusion of expression and technical innovation that forever changed our culture and Google wanted to celebrate the moment when it all came together.
I had one condition on participating: that the project be authentic and not some tech company’s interpretation of a cultural revolution. They couldn't agree more and the collaboration led to an amazing interactive experience that used technology and Google’s reach to celebrate the birth of hip-hop. It showed me that Google and YouTube know how to listen to feedback (in this case, mine), and are willing to work hard to get things right.
I joined Google and YouTube because I saw a great opportunity to bring tech and music together and do right by artists, the industry and fans. Eight months in, I’m more optimistic than ever that YouTube can do that, but the truth is there’s still a disconnect between YouTube and the rest of the industry.
So, how did YouTube get here? What explains the current state of YouTube’s relationship with the industry? I think there are five factors that explain the current situation.
Late to the party.
I get why some in the music industry would be skeptical of their relationship with YouTube. They were late to the subscriptions party and YouTube’s focus for many years was largely just on ads. While they have been at subscriptions for a year, and the numbers are very encouraging, YouTube must prove its credibility when it comes to its ability to shepherd their funnel of users into paid subscriptions.
But since I’ve been here, I’ve been incredibly encouraged by what I’ve seen. The team is serious about subscriptions. And now with YouTube Music and Google Play Music merging, I’m confident they will build an even better subscription service. And with more deals like the one YouTube recently signed with Warner, they’re going to be able to take it global.
Twin-engine growth.
The success of streaming subscriptions is one reason why I’m so optimistic about the future. Subscription revenue is still in its infancy, yet it’s already reaping billions for the music industry. It’s not just some business model on a whiteboard; it’s a real and rapidly growing source of cash for labels and artists today.
Some think ads are the death of the music industry. Ads are not death. Death is death. Irrelevance is death. Fans not being exposed to new music is death. My time at YouTube has me convinced that advertising is another powerful source of growth for the industry. YouTube’s ads hustle has already brought over a billion dollars in 12 months to the industry and it’s growing rapidly. Combined with YouTube’s growing subscription service, they’ve now got two engines taking the industry to a more lucrative place than it’s ever been before.
But that all depends on whether or not the industry chokes off these new sources of growth. I’m old enough to remember what the industry was saying about iTunes and Spotify before they started contributing billions to its bottom line. The growth that the industry is seeing today proves that ads and subscription thrive side by side.
Let’s talk dead presidents.
It is important that labels, publishers and YouTube come together to make transparency a reality, as I strongly believe it will help everyone in the industry move the business forward.
Artists and songwriters need to truly understand what they’re making on different platforms. It’s not enough for YouTube to say that it’s paid over $1 billion to the industry from ads. We (the labels, publishers and YouTube) must shine a light on artist royalties, show them how much they make from ads compared to subscriptions by geography and see how high their revenue is in the U.S. and compared to other services.
For instance, critics complain YouTube isn’t paying enough money for ad-supported streams compared to Spotify or Pandora. I was one of them! Then I got here and looked at the numbers myself. At over $3 per thousand streams in the U.S., YouTube is paying out more than other ad supported services.
Why doesn’t anyone know that? Because YouTube is global and the numbers get diluted by lower contributions in developing markets. But they’re working the ads hustle like crazy so payouts can ramp up quickly all around the world. If they can do that, this industry could double in the next few years.
Fortune AND fame.
Every day for the last 30 years, I’ve woken up with the same thought: maybe today’s the day I’m going to meet an artist that’s going to change pop culture. I love watching when an artist goes from obscurity to celebrity. That’s my drug.
Every artist I’ve ever worked with wanted some fame and fortune. YouTube will deliver fortune … but I think they need to be just as focused on bringing the fame. YouTube is already a great force for breaking new artists; in fact, the majority of music watchtime on YouTube is coming from its recommendations, rather than people searching for what they want to listen to. But YouTube needs to find new ways to promote and break artists and their albums so they have a chance to shine on the platform and connect with their fans. This is one of my biggest priorities and you’ll see more coming soon.
Without safe harbor, we’d all be lost at sea.
I’ve spent my professional life fighting for artists to get what they deserve. I’ve worked with the RIAA and the IFPI to fight piracy since back when the main concern was bootlegged tapes. Safe harbor has become an obsession -- with many complaining it’s the cause of all of industry’s woes. I’m not parroting the company line when I say the focus on copyright safe harbors is a distraction. Safe harbor helps open platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud and Instagram give a voice to millions of artists around the world, making the industry more competitive and vibrant.
Every artist should be concerned if their music shows up online without credit or payment. But YouTube’s team has built a system in Content ID that helps rightsholders earn money no matter who uploads their music. As of 2016, 99.5 percent of music claims on YouTube are matched automatically by Content ID and are either removed or monetized.
Before Content ID, when a fan shared a song with a friend through a mix tape, it was called piracy. Now it's generated over $2 billion for content owners and goes far beyond what the safe harbor provision requires.
One of the first jobs I ever had in the music business was working as a road manager for Run DMC. Doing that taught me a lesson that has formed the core of what I’ve tried to do my entire career: set things up well so that the artists and fans can come together and make magic happen. I’ve spent my entire life helping artists achieve fame and fortune. I wouldn’t have joined YouTube if I didn’t believe the company was committed to delivering more revenue to artists, labels, publishers and composers -- they just have to set them up well and get out of their way.
With love and respect,
Lyor Cohen
Lyor recently watched “
Brothers Gonna Work It Out
”
Helping creators connect with brands
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Nine years ago, YouTube launched its
Partner Program
with the goal of helping creators earn advertising revenue while connecting their innovative content to audiences around the world. Every year, more and more brands are making YouTube essential to their marketing strategy. In fact, in the last year alone, the top 100 advertisers have increased their spend on YouTube video ads by 50 percent.
As brands continue to embrace the value of YouTube, they’re also taking their investments one step further, partnering with creators on
branded content opportunities
such as product placements, promotions and sponsorships. As we look to the future, we want even more creators and brands to come together and realize the benefits of these creative collaborations.
Today, we’re excited to announce that Google has acquired
FameBit
-- a technology platform company that helps creators and brands find and work with each other through sponsorships and paid promotion. We believe that Google’s relationship with brands and YouTube’s partnerships with creators, combined with FameBit’s technology and expertise, will help increase the number of branded content opportunities available, bringing even more revenue into the online video community.
Creators will always have the choice in how they work with brands, and there are many great companies who provide this service today. This acquisition doesn’t change that. Our hope is that FameBit’s democratized marketplace will allow creators of all sizes to directly connect with brands, as well as provide a great technology solution for companies like MCNs and agencies to find matches for their creators and brand partners.
We look forward to seeing FameBit and the entire branded content space thrive as we continue to support the success and creativity of the creator community.
Ariel Bardin, Vice President, Product Management recently watched "
New Yorkers Share their Story for a Dollar
."
Get more into NCAA March Madness on YouTube
Monday, March 2, 2015
Before your brackets have even been built or busted, we’ve got big college b-ball news.
NCAA March Madness
is now on YouTube and Google.
Starting with the 2015 NCAA Division I Basketball Championships, you can watch game highlights, pre- and postgame shows and more on the new
NCAA March Madness YouTube channel
. Subscribe to the channel to get all the latest updates around the tourney, from shows airing across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.
As you’ve searched for March Madness on Google more and more
every year
, getting answers should be easy: you’ll see schedules, scores, links to game live streams and more just by doing a search for “March Madness” or any of the participating teams. You’ll now have more power at your fingertips than Jerian Grant and his
disrespect for gravity
.
So stick around on YouTube and Google for your NCAA March Madness highlights and info, and if you need some selection inspiration, you can always brush up on your
Barack-etology
.
Roland Lange, Partner Manager, YouTube Sports, recently watched
“2014 March Madness Moments.”
Motorsports brands kick into high gear on YouTube
Monday, March 5, 2012
Having spent years living in North Carolina, I witnessed first-hand the passion of NASCAR and motorsports fans. So it’s not surprising that auto and motorcycle racing
videos
are some of the most searched and viewed on YouTube. Now that racing season is in full swing with the first
Daytona 500
kicking off just days ago, fans have plenty to discover on YouTube - making it the ideal arena for marketers to capture consumer attention. Here are a few brands making the most of fan interest online.
Like many businesses,
RevZilla
, an online retailer of motorcycle riding gear, dove into video production with nothing more than a Flip camera and an idea. While they have a showroom in Philadelphia, they were challenged to reach their online customers' need to “look under the hood” of motorcycle gear. So they turned to video to showcase detailed breakdowns of
motorcycle gear
-- from helmets to gloves and riding jackets, and share their deep product knowledge and how-to content.
Meanwhile
GoPro
, the makers of HD video cameras and accessories, use
racer’s eye view
of tracks like the Infineon Raceway captured by
CEO Nicholas Woodman
to reach fans. By building a library of videos created by the people using their cameras, GoPro was able to provide the ultimate product demo to their audience.
Even racing greats like Richard Petty of
The Richard Petty Driving Experience
are on YouTube to give customers a behind-the-wheel look at racing 165 mph in a NASCAR race car. The Richard Petty Driving Experience pushed the sales needle by creating a
Summer of Speed
package they promoted during slow summer months with YouTube video ads.
With millions of auto enthusiasts and racing fans coming to YouTube for entertainment, try out some of these ways to reach people on YouTube. Happy riding!
Baljeet Singh, group product manager on video monetization at Google, recently watched “
Team Hot Wheels - The Yellow Driver's World Record Jump
”
Brazil’s Carnival goes social with Google
Monday, February 13, 2012
While you may have heard of Brazil’s Carnival (or
Carnaval
), not everyone will have the chance to fly to Brazil to experience what are arguably the largest annual street festivals (+ music concerts + dance parties + culture fests) in the world.
Every year, Brazilian cities compete to be the country’s top Carnival destination: This year, we’re bringing you the sights, sounds and energy of Brazilian Carnival directly from the streets of
Salvador
(Brazil’s first capital and one of the oldest cities in the the Americas) through
Google+
,
YouTube
and
Orkut
.
From February 16 to 21
— the height of the festival and the peak of Brazil’s summer — you’ll be able to:
Watch the festivities wherever you are in the world on the
Carnival YouTube Channel
. Starting Thursday, February 16, you’ll have access to everything from a live transmission of the streetfest to videos of bands who have traveled to Salvador to host the party. You’ll even be able to chat with other YouTube users who are watching the party with you from around the world through a map we’ve integrated just for the occasion.
Chat with bands and watch live interviews on Google+.
Chat with some of the Brazilian bands who have joined the festivities in real time by sending questions via Google+ and Orkut. You’ll also be able to watch celebrity interviews running live throughout the week on the
AoVivo
(Live) Google+ Page and transmitted simultaneously on
YouTube
and
Orkut
.
Even if you didn’t have a chance to get a plane ticket to Brazil, there’s no reason not to experience the energy of this year’s 2012 Carnival. Find out more about how you can be part of the party on
+AoVivo
, Orkut or on our
Carnival YouTube Channel
.
Flavia Simon
, head of consumer marketing, Brazil, recently watched "
President Obama sings Al Green: Let's Stay Together in 2012
."
Where you’ll find Google and YouTube at CES 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Cross posted from the
Official Google Blog
.
Every year in the tech world, thousands of us pack a bag with all of our gadgets and head to Las Vegas for the International
Consumer Electronics Show
(CES). It’s a tech lover’s paradise where you can check out new technologies and talk about the trends of the future with visionary members of the industry. If you’ll be joining us, here are a few places and dates where you can find Google and YouTube.
We’ll kick things off at 3:00pm PT on Tuesday, January 10 with chairman Eric Schmidt speaking at
CNET Presents - The Next Big Thing in CE
, in Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) North Hall N255-257. On the following day, January 11, we have a bunch of events across topics:
Google’s senior policy counsel Rick Whitt will participate in the Innovation Policy Summit Session:
Spectrum for Wireless Broadband: Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together
in LVCC North Hall N264 at 10:15am PT.
On the education front, Angela Lin, manager of
YouTube EDU
, will present on “High Tech U”—digital tools and services that are changing the traditional ivory tower—at 3:00pm PT in LVCC North Hall N256.
End the day at 5:00pm PT with CNET's
Women In Tech
panel, featuring Marissa Mayer, VP of product management, in LVCC South Hall, Upper Level Lobby - CNET Stage.
On Thursday, January 12 at 10:00am PT,
YouTube
will be keynoting the
Entertainment Matters
program in the
Las Vegas Hilton Theatre
. Robert Kyncl, VP of global content, will share his thoughts on the evolution of the entertainment industry, and he’ll later be joined by partners and friends for a panel discussion.
Don’t forget to check out Google TV around CES this year.
Recently announced
new partners LG, Marvell, MediaTek join Samsung, Sony and Vizio having new devices to play with at
their booths
. You can also find YouTube demos on TVs and devices around the LVCC
show floor
at LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba and other booths.
For first-timers, here’s a video overview of the show from the
Official CES Channel
:
Stay tuned for updates on our
+YouTube page
and on
Twitter
—pack your smartphones, tablets, laptops, netbooks, televisions, E-readers and of course, your battery chargers, and see you in Las Vegas!
Matt McLernon, Communications Manager, recently watched “
Fishing under ice
.”
Bringing the very best of what we do to the veteran community
Friday, November 11, 2011
Cross posted from the
Official Google Blog
.
We believe that technology can be a force for good; one that builds and binds community. As a Googler, my proudest moments are when we take that technology and put it in the hands of people who can use it to communicate, collaborate, build and explore.
Today, on Veterans Day, I am proud to share a few Google tools and platforms for the military veteran community. They can be accessed on our website,
Google for Veterans and Families
, which was created by veterans and their family and friends, who work at Google. This single interface brings together Google products and platforms for servicemembers and their families. We believe it will be useful to all veterans, whether still in the service, transitioning out, or on a new path in their civilian lives. Here are some examples of what you’ll find on the site:
VetConnect
- This tool helps servicemembers connect, communicate and share their experiences with others who have served using the Google+ platform.
Google Veterans Channel
- A YouTube channel for discussion about military service for veterans, their families and the public. Veterans can share their experiences with each other as well as with civilians to help shed light on the importance and complexity of service. If you have not served, this is a great place to offer your thanks by uploading a tribute video.
Resume Builder powered by Google Docs
- We found that Docs can be a particularly helpful tool to transitioning service members seeking employment. Resume Builder generates an auto-formatted resume that can be easily edited, saved and downloaded to share with potential employers.
Tour Builder powered by Google Earth
(coming soon). A new way to tell your military story. Today, you can view some sample “tours”— 3D maps of veterans’ service histories, complete with photos and videos. Stay tuned for more details and updates on the
Google Lat Long Blog
.
It’s been a proud month for those of us here at Google who are veterans or family of veterans.
In October, 100 Googlers visited the
Soldier and Family Assistance Center at West Point
to conduct resume writing workshops for members of the Warrior Transition Unit. And, just two weeks ago, we traveled to
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
to teach wounded, ill and injured servicemembers how to use Google tools to stay in touch with their loved ones while in recovery.
Finally, this week, we
introduced
the
Veterans Job Bank
in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Veterans Job Bank is a customized job search engine in the
National Resource Directory
(NRD), which is powered by
Google Custom Search
technology and crawls the web for
JobPosting markup
from
Schema.org
to identify veteran-committed job openings.
Even playing a small part to serve those who have served has been an honor.
Carrie Laureno, Audience Evangelist and Founder, Google Veterans Network, recently watched "
A message from the First Lady
."
Watch Lady Gaga’s exclusive Q&A with Google
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Google went totally Gaga yesterday, when the indomitable
artist otherwise known as Stefani Germanotta
clicked onto the Mountain View, CA, campus in her impossibly tall black boots.
The diminutive superstar wowed a capacity crowd in a venue that was (literally) packed to the rafters with adoring Googlers. In a wide-ranging interview that saw Gaga taking questions from fans via Twitter and Moderator, the musician spoke about everything from bullying to
Rebecca Black
, the creative process and her upcoming album. She took questions from the audience—hugging several Googlers in the process—and even became a judge when a gaggle of Gaga-alikes flooded the stage.
True to form, the singer was by turns funny, thoughtful and inspiring. But don’t take our word for it — you can watch the entire Q&A now on YouTube.
Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched
“Lady Gaga - Born This Way.”
Enjoy videos about some of the greatest artworks in the world
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Earlier this week,
Google unveiled
the
Google Art Project
—a new site that lets you explore hundreds of artworks from 17 of the world’s most acclaimed art museums in extraordinary levels of detail, as well as take 360 degree tours of the museums using Street View technology.
With this project comes the launch of many of the museums’ very own YouTube channels -- along with an array of new videos about the artworks featured in the project. On the Google Art Project site you can explore 1000+ pieces of artwork at an amazingly high resolution levels. While zooming into a work of art you can also watch YouTube videos about it, as well as reading more about a particular artwork and its artist. More than 170 works of art in the project have accompanying videos; learn about
a professional snowboarder’s perspective on an alpine landscape
, the
20+ locations of Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch’
, the
preservation process for Van Gogh’s ‘The Bedroom’
or even the
live reaction of a pair of identical twins to a 17th century painting of twins
.
You can browse a selection of the featured artwork videos on the
Art Project’s YouTube channel
, where you can also see
behind the scenes
footage of the project.
This project began as a 20% project for a group of Googlers who are passionate about making art more accessible online. We hope you enjoy these videos and maybe deepen your understanding of some of the world’s most famous works of art.
Anna de Paula Hanika, Project Manager, Google Art Project, recently watched “
Art Project preview
.”
Dashing through the snow...with NORAD, YouTube and Google
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Every Christmas Eve, children all over the world ask themselves—and their parents—questions about Santa’s magical journey. How does Santa visit so many children in one night? Will he eat the cookies I left out? How does he fit all those presents into his sleigh? These childhood mysteries are part of what makes the Santa tradition so special.
There’s one timeless question that we’re proud to say we can help answer: Where in the world is Santa at this very moment? Thanks in part to recent advances in warp-speed GPS technology and some very clever elves (elveneering?)
NORAD Tracks Santa
is once again prepped and ready to go.
Starting tomorrow, December 24 at 2:00 a.m. EST, visit
www.noradsanta.org
to follow Santa as he journeys around the world delivering presents to children in more than 200 countries and territories. There are a few different ways to find the jolly man in his unmistakable red suit over the course of the day, so feel free to track him using any of the following methods:
Subscribe to his YouTube channel:
Santa’s home on YouTube is at
http://www.youtube.com/noradtrackssanta
. That’s where you can find videos from his journey throughout the night. This “Commander's Holiday Message” offers a peek of what to expect:
See Santa on a Google Map:
On your home computer or laptop, visit
www.noradsanta.org
and choose your preferred language. You’ll see a large Google Map on the page displaying Santa’s current location and his next stop. Click the video icons to watch
“Santa Cam” videos
, and click the gift icons to learn more about each city.
Watch Santa fly with the Google Earth Plug-in:
From
www.noradsanta.org
, click on the link
Track Santa in Google Earth
. You'll see Santa steering his sleigh right on the webpage. If you don't have the Google Earth plug-in, you can get ready by
downloading
it ahead of time.
Follow Santa on your phone:
Track Santa from your mobile phone by opening
Google Maps for mobile
and searching for [santa]. Or, visit m.noradsanta.org on your phone’s browser.
Get real-time information about Santa’s location: Use Google’s
Realtime Search
to get updates from social networks, news and micro-blogs like Twitter at
@noradsanta
, and keep up with news about his journey on this
Facebook page
.
For any techie questions you might have, we’ve also put together some helpful
tips and tricks
about all the cool ways you can experience Santa’s journey. And now that you know how to follow Saint Nick on Christmas Eve, it’s our tradition to tell the story of how this all started...
NORAD
(North American Aerospace Defence Command)
first began to track Santa
in 1955 when a misprinted advertisement in a Sears & Roebuck catalogue mistakenly led callers expecting a Santa-hotline to the NORAD commander-in-chief's telephone. Embracing the spirit of the season, NORAD used its satellite and radar capabilities to offer callers sleigh-location updates, and has
tracked Santa's whereabouts
on Christmas Eve ever since. Then in 2004, Google started tracking Santa on Google Earth as a 20% project, which in 2007 grew into a partnership with NORAD, adding the mapping technology of
Google Maps
and
Google Earth
to the NORAD experience. Over the years, other Google teams have also joined in the holiday fun (
YouTube
, Google Voice’s
www.SendACallFromSanta.com
and
Google SketchUp
).
As we approach this year’s Christmas Eve adventure, Santa was able to take a break from the preparations to visit the New York Stock Exchange this past Monday. His helpful elves kept everything at the North Pole on schedule while folks from Google and NORAD attended the Closing Bell ceremony, and stood alongside Santa from Macy’s going over last minute details about tomorrow’s big ride:
Santa with NORAD, Google and members of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
that’s me, the tall guy in the back row clapping)
So don’t forget to visit
www.noradsanta.org
tomorrow morning starting at 2:00 a.m. EST when Santa embarks on his flight. From all of us here at Google and YouTube, happy holidays and here’s to a very happy New Year!
Brian McClendon, Original Google Engineering Elf, recently watched “
Picasa 3.8 Face Movie
.”
Slamming the boring, old tech demo
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tech demos. They’ve been around as long as... well, technology. They’re helpful. They’re useful. They’re also a little boring. That’s why tech demos often go overlooked by so many people. Unfortunately, it’s generally the people who could benefit most from them that never even see them.
So we figured, what tech demos need is a fresh start. A few creative minds willing to take a shot at making them worth watching and sharing. And maybe, just maybe, make tech demos so cool, that they’ll inspire others to make their own.
That’s why we created
Demo Slam
. It’s a platform that allows you to put a new twist on sharing tech goodness. Demo Slam rests on the belief that the world’s creativity is all it takes to turn boring, old tech demos into entertaining, exciting awesomeness. For example, watch Zach Miller do a 20-foot search:
The YouTube community has shown the world time and time again, just how incredibly far a little imagination can go. We’d love to see that same YouTube magic become a part of Demo Slam. If you triumph, you’ll be featured in the Demo Slam Hall of Champs. That also means you’ll get exposure elsewhere online, courtesy of Google. Best of all, it’s a way to help a lot of people discover something cool.
There’s just too much great tech out there for everyone to go on not knowing it exists. And now, with the help of people like you, the whole world will have a place where they can find out about it. So be different, be crazy, be unique, and submit a demo. All it takes is one to teach millions something new.
Let the slamming begin!
Robert Wong, Creative Director, Creative Lab, recently watched "
Demo Slam: 20ft Search
."
Trip Report: Google and YouTube in Iraq
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Earlier this month, a small team from Google and YouTube spent a week in Iraq on a trip arranged by the Department of Defense’s Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (
TFBSO
). Our goals were to explore opportunities for Google in Iraq, to understand the landscape of Internet access and connectivity in the country during this critical transition period, and to bring top-voted questions from YouTube to Iraqi leaders in a series of interviews. We met with students, private sector companies, NGOs and Iraqi leadership in the Kurdish city of Erbil in the north, and in Baghdad.
Pictures taken by the Google/YouTube team in Iraq: Harry Wingo (Policy), Carrie Farrell (Google.org), Debu Purkayastha (Corp Dev), Olivia Ma (YouTube), Mary Himinkool (Business Development), and Steve Grove (YouTube).
Regardless of your feelings about the Iraq War, it’s immediately evident upon arrival just how completely the country missed the Internet boom during Saddam Hussein’s regime. Internet penetration rates in Iraq are among the lowest in the Middle East—somewhere between one and eight percent. Only 15 percent of Iraqis say they use the web, and the largest percentage of them live in Baghdad. There are no commercial data centers in Iraq and much more fiber connectivity is needed to meet consumer needs. Most connections are via satellite, and those who do have connections pay dearly for it—we heard estimates of up to $150 U.S. dollars per month for a 512kb connection. To incentivize and enable private companies to lay more fiber in Iraq, a complex set of roadblocks must be addressed—from security concerns to regulatory frameworks to licensing structures. As the country is still struggling to form a government more than seven months after its last election, much of this progress has been stalled.
There are signs of progress, however. Mobile penetration has skyrocketed in Iraq in the past seven years, from effectively zero percent in 2003 to over 70% today. And the Iraqi people are highly educated. We met with dozens of computer science students at Salahaddin University in Erbil and at Baghdad University, and though they lack equipment and resources, they’re highly motivated to innovate and believe the web is a critical component of their economy’s future.
Many young people in Iraq and around the world
submitted questions
in Arabic and English for three interviews we conducted in partnership with Middle Eastern news agency
Al Arabiya
. Google Translate enabled anyone to vote on their favorite questions regardless of language, and we brought the top five questions to current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government in Erbil, Dr. Barham Salih, and Iraqi politician and once the interim Prime Minister of Iraq, Ayad Allawi. Here is the television special that Al Arabiya produced showcasing their answers:
The Iraqis we met consistently expressed their desire for increased access to the web and for more access to content and tools in both Kurdish and Arabic. We believe access to information and high-speed connectivity to the cloud will be key to the future of the country. The power of the web to change people’s lives grows the further one gets from Silicon Valley, and we look forward to continuing our work with companies, governments and citizens in Iraq and other countries in transition.
Mary Himinkool, New Business Development, and Olivia Ma, YouTube News & Politics, recently watched "
Voices: Conversation Between Iraqi and American Students
."
New additions to the YouTube team
Friday, September 17, 2010
Whether you’re looking for a video of your
kid’s first day of kindergarten
, instructions on how to
dance the waltz
, the latest upload from a
hot YouTube star
, or a favorite Hollywood movie or a
global sporting event,
we’re committed to growing our content library and global footprint to make more of the world’s video available to you.
Today, we’re pleased to welcome two new additions to our leadership team who will help us continue to expand our offerings for users. These new leaders will have many external touchpoints, so we wanted to take the unusual step of using our blog to announce them.
Dean Gilbert is joining us as YouTube’s new Global Head of Content and will oversee our global content team as we work to expand our existing relationships and forge new ones. A veteran of the cable industry, Dean’s leadership roles have included serving as Executive Vice President and General Manager of @ Home Network. Over the last four years, Dean has provided leadership at Google across across a wide range of media products, including Google TV, YouTube and Google TV Ads.
Robert Kyncl is joining us as our new Global Head of TV and Film Entertainment. Robert comes to YouTube from Netflix, where he was Vice President of Content Acquisitions, spearheading the company’s content acquisition strategy for streaming TV shows and movies over the Internet. He was also instrumental in transitioning Netflix’s business from DVD-by-mail to streaming. In his new role, Robert will build our content partner presence in Hollywood, overseeing our content partnerships across the studios, broadcasters, cable networks, talent agencies and new media companies. Chris Maxcy will continue his executive leadership role as Global Head of Music and Games, focusing on our global music business.
The means of creation, consumption and distribution have permanently changed, giving rise to the most diverse set of faces and voices ever seen or heard in human history. By expanding our content partnerships worldwide, we’ll ensure that YouTube remains the best place for our users to see, hear and discover this richness of talent. These leadership additions will help to pave the way.
Salar Kamangar, Co-Head of YouTube
Instantly zap YouTube videos to your Android phone with Chrome to Phone
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Ever wanted a way to quickly and easily send YouTube videos and other information from your desktop or laptop to your phone to view on the go? The new
Chrome to Phone extension
adds a button to your Google Chrome browser that instantly sends the current YouTube video, web page, map, or selected phone number or text to your Android device running
Froyo
(or Android 2.2).
Suppose you're mid-way through a scintillating
15-minute video
and you have to run to an appointment. Simply click the extension icon in your browser to send the video’s link to your phone and the device's browser will automatically open the link, ready for you to view on the go.
The Chrome to Phone extension is available in English for now, but we hope to expand to other languages soon. Check out the
help center
if you have further questions.
To get Chrome to Phone, install the
Chrome to Phone extension
in your Google Chrome browser and the Android application on your phone, and you’re ready to go.
Dave Burke, Engineering Manager, recently watched “
Asturias-John Williams
.”
Connecting a Google Account to your older YouTube account
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Following YouTube’s acquisition by Google in 2006, new YouTube signups were given the choice between two different account systems to power their YouTube experience: the original YouTube account system (built in 2005) or the Google Account system.
In May 2009, we started requiring all new YouTube usernames to be powered by Google Accounts.
Now, we’re gradually asking all remaining pre-May 2009 users still using the older YouTube account system to connect a Google Account to their YouTube username. For now, it’s an optional step, but eventually it’ll be required in order to continue using your YouTube username.
Before we go any further, we should clarify three important facts:
YouTube usernames themselves aren’t going anywhere.
No matter when you signed up for YouTube, or if you’re currently associated with a Google Account, you’ll still be “LifeOfTheParty29” (aka “your username”) on YouTube.
A Google Account is not necessarily a Gmail account.
You can create a Google Account with any email address through many different Google products, just like you can create a Twitter or Facebook account with any email address. Of course, you can choose to use Gmail as the email address for your Google Account.
Connecting your existing YouTube username to an existing Google Account doesn’t start sharing your YouTube activity to your Buzz followers
; it’s only an account connection behind the scenes, and it’s still up to you to decide whether or not to bring YouTube into the rest of your Google life.
So what’s the point of asking people to connect a Google Account to their older YouTube account? Here are the main reasons:
Improved account security.
The Google Account system is robust and will help reduce spam across the site; users will get a slew of security and safety features that Google has spent the past decade developing.
A single account system.
This may not mean much to anyone outside of the YouTube engineering team, but behind the scenes it’s extremely complicated to support two different account systems. Having all users on the same account system not only simplifies matters, but more important, it makes it much easier to use Google technologies to keep the site running smoothly (
over two billion views a day and counting
), as well as introduce new functionality.
If you have an older YouTube account and you’d like to link to a new or existing Google Account today, just visit
this page
and choose to link to an existing Google Account or a brand new one. You can also visit our
"Linked YouTube/Google Accounts" topic in the Help Center
for more information on common questions and problems.
And, as a reminder, if you’d like to review all of the services and data associated with your Google Account at a glance, visit the
Google Privacy Dashboard
.
Brett Hobbs, Software Engineer, recently watched "
The World's Reaction to Landon Donovan's Game Winning Goal
."
More choice for users: unlisted videos
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Melinda teaches high school in the Bay Area and recently reached out to us with a problem. Her students just finished a video history project that she wanted to share with their parents and classmates. But she was concerned about posting the videos publicly because she didn’t want the whole world to find them (frankly, neither did her students). Melinda told us YouTube’s private sharing options -- a 25-person cap that’s limited to other YouTube users -- didn’t work for her. She needed a better option to privately share her students’ talent.
Later today, we'll be rolling out a new choice that will help Melinda and other people like her: unlisted videos. [
Update
: Unlisted videos are now available.]
With this feature, you can mark your videos as "unlisted." This means only people who have the link to the video will be able to watch it. It won’t appear in any of YouTube’s public pages, in search results, on your personal channel or on the browse page. It’s a private video, except you don’t need a YouTube account to watch it and there is no limit to the number of people who can view it. You’ll get a link when you upload the video and then it’s up to you to decide who to share it with. Unlisted is the perfect option for that class project, video from last summer’s family reunion or your secret Broadway audition tape.
Just remember, the video can be viewed by anyone with the link, so only give it to people you trust! For more information, check out our
Help Center page
.
Jen Chen, Software Engineer, recently watched “
8-Bit Dr. Horrible (Act 1)
”
Your interview with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
[Cross-posted from the
Google Public Policy Blog
]
It’s not every day that you get to ask your country’s leader questions about issues you care about. But that’s exactly what Canadians did this afternoon when
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
sat down with YouTube.
Roughly 170,000 votes were cast through
Google Moderator
for nearly 1,800 questions -- giving voice to thousands of Canadians. And don’t think that these were softball questions. Canadians asked their Prime Minister questions on a wide variety of important topics: from
the deficit
to Canada’s role in Afgahistan, from
child care
to protecting pensions. We tried to select questions that represented the most popular topics and would solicit conversation. (We also minimized duplicate questions so we could cover a range of issues.) Neither the Prime Minister nor his office knew in advance which questions he’d be asked.
You can see the Prime Minister respond to your questions in this video:
Prime Minister Harper is the second world leader to answer your questions in a YouTube Interview. It’s your appetite for political discussion on YouTube that creates these opportunities to access public leaders in this format, and we look forward to conducting more YouTube Interviews soon.
Posted by Jacob Glick, Google Canada Policy Counsel
Serious Threat to Web in Italy
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
By now, you might have heard about the
ruling in Italy
, whereby three Google employees were convicted of violating Italian privacy laws for a video posted to Google Video in 2006. Because this is an issue of critical importance to all of us here at Google, particularly at YouTube, we wanted to direct readers of this blog to the Official Google Blog post on the matter: "
Serious threat to Web in Italy
."
The YouTube Team
The White House Answers More of Your Questions
Friday, February 5, 2010
As we
announced
earlier this week, the White House agreed to answer more of the top questions you submitted for our
YouTube Interview
with the President on Monday. Today, we hosted a live chat in which three administration officials - Heather Higginbottom from the Domestic Policy Council, Brian Deese of the National Economic Council, and Ben Rhodes of the National Security Council - answered additional questions submitted in response to the President's State of the Union address on January 27. Macon Phillips, the White House New Media Director, moderated the discussion and also took some of your questions in real-time, using our Moderator platform on
CitizenTube
.
Here's the video of the chat, just posted to the
White House YouTube channel
.
We appreciate all the feedback we've received this week in response to our interview with the President, and we look forward to incorporating your suggestions into upcoming programs. We'll be announcing more events soon that will allow you to connect with your leaders via YouTube, so stay tuned to
CitizenTube
for more details.
Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics, recently watched "
Presidential YouTube Interview - behind the scenes
"
Celebrating free expression 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Friday, October 23, 2009
In 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall became a striking symbol for free expression far beyond the borders of Germany. Just 20 years later, Iranian citizens used online tools like YouTube and Twitter to share
firsthand accounts
of the brutal government crackdown waged against protesters disputing the country's election results. Many Iranians
risked their lives
to document the violence, despite the government's attempts to expel journalists and stifle any voices of dissent.
The democratizing power of the Internet has enabled individuals to share their stories with a global audience in ways never before possible, and given a voice to those who wouldn't otherwise be heard.
To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we're launching a YouTube channel —
youtube.com/GoogleFreeExpression
— to highlight and celebrate free expression around the world, and
we want to hear from you
.
This channel is designed to feature your stories and reflections on free expression. Tell us about how you or someone you know has taken a stand for free expression. Perhaps you've
protested against
something you didn't agree with,
taken action
when someone else's free speech was being suppressed or
been inspired
by someone who has stood up for the right to speak out. Make a short video sharing your experience, upload it to YouTube, and add it as a reply to this one:
We'll be featuring the best submissions on the
Google Free Expression channel
, so be sure to check back in the weeks to come. We look forward to hearing from you.
Annette Kroeber-Riel, European Policy Counsel, recently watched "
Getting past the 'Barbed Wireless'
"
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